American Missionary Freed in Niger After 10 Months

Rideout had worked in Niger as a Christian missionary for 19 years and flew for Serving in Mission, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based group that describes itself as a "global mission family serving in 70 countries" focused on communities with few Christians.

Experts quoted by the Daily Mail suggested he was likely taken by the Islamic State Sahel Province or criminal groups tied to it. That network and its rivals have gained strength across Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso since junta leaders expelled Western military assistance and the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali closed in 2023.

Niger's General Abdourahamane Tiani ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in a 2023 coup and ordered foreign troops, including the U.S. military, out of the country. Since then, Nigeria has allowed American surveillance flights from its bases, in part to hunt for Rideout.

Thousands of Christians and Muslims have been killed in Nigeria in land disputes, sectarian violence and terrorism — which Christian activists and Republican lawmakers call the persecution of Christians. Analysts say there is no clear evidence Christians are attacked more often than other religious groups there.