Freed US Missionary, Wife Thank Christians For Prayers After Niger Captivity

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON/NIAMEY (Worthy News) – Kevin Rideout, an American Christian missionary who spent more than nine months in captivity after being abducted by suspected Islamic militants in Niger, and his wife thanked believers for their prayers after they were reunited.

“We are grateful to be together again as a family. After these many months apart, there are few words adequate to express what it means simply to be reunited,” Kevin and Krista Rideout said Friday in a statement obtained by Worthy News.

Rideout, 50, was kidnapped by three armed men outside his home in Niger’s capital, Niamey, on October 21, 2025.

He had worked in Niger for 19 years as a missionary and pilot for Serving in Mission International (SIM), an evangelical Christian missionary organization operating in more than 70 countries.

“We are profoundly thankful to the United States government and to all those who worked tirelessly for Kevin’s safe release, and to SIM for its steadfast care and support throughout this long season,” the couple added.

TRUMP EXPECTS WHITE HOUSE VISIT

U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who announced Rideout’s release from captivity, later shared images of Kevin and Krista together and said he expected to welcome them to the White House.

Trump said Rideout was the 110th captive American liberated since he began his second presidential term. He earlier described Rideout as a “wonderful Christian missionary” kidnapped by “Jihadi terrorists” in West Africa.

Sebastian Gorka, Trump’s deputy assistant and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, said Rideout expressed gratitude to Trump following his release.

“He sounds incredibly good and wouldn’t stop saying how grateful he is to President Trump,” Gorka said, adding that Rideout recalled singing “Proud to Be an American” in his head when he realized he would be coming home.

Those sentiments were also reflected in the Rideout statement. “We are also grateful for our SIM family around the world, and for the countless friends, churches, and brothers and sisters in Christ who faithfully petitioned the Lord for Kevin’s protection and release,” the couple said.

FAITH DURING CAPTIVITY

“To our own family, who never stopped praying, hoping, and believing, we are more grateful than we can say,” they added.

The couple said their Christian faith sustained them throughout the ordeal, citing Bible verse Deuteronomy 31:6: “The LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“We have known the truth of that promise in very real ways. Even in the hardest and most uncertain moments, the Lord was present and faithful,” the Rideouts said.

However, they acknowledged that their joy over being reunited was accompanied by grief over leaving a country and people who had become an important part of their lives.

“For decades, the Lord has given us a deep love for Niger and for the people of Niger, among whom we have been privileged to live and serve,” they stressed.

DEEP LOVE FOR NIGER

“Niger and its people are woven deeply into our lives and into the calling God has given us. We continue to love them and carry them in our hearts and prayers.”

Yet the couple said their immediate priority was being together. “We are thankful for the prayers and kindness that have surrounded us, and we ask for privacy and space in the days ahead as we reconnect, rest, and begin to heal together,” they said.

“Above all, we give thanks to the Lord, who has been faithful to us in every season.”

SIM announced August 14 that Rideout had been released and was in good health in the care of U.S. officials. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) later said it had worked with the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell and other U.S. agencies to secure his release.

The precise circumstances of his freedom have not been fully disclosed. Rideout said in a video following his release that he had been held by Islamic State militants in Mali, though U.S. officials have not publicly provided a detailed account of his captivity.

ISLAMIC MILITANCY IN SAHEL

His abduction occurred amid deteriorating security across Niger and the wider Sahel, where Islamic State and al-Qaida affiliates have expanded operations across porous borders linking Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.

Niger has been ruled by a military junta since a July 2023 coup overthrew elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

The subsequent withdrawal of U.S. and French troops significantly reduced the Western military presence in Niger as Islamist insurgents continued attacks across the region.

The security situation has added to difficulties faced by the Christian minority, Worthy News learned.

Niger ranks number 26 on Christian advocacy group Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution and discrimination. Christians comprise only about 0.3 percent of the overwhelmingly Muslim population.

CHRISTIANS FACING PRESSURE

Open Doors says Islamic oppression is the main driver of persecution, with Christians increasingly vulnerable to Islamist militants amid deteriorating security and weakened government authority following Niger’s 2023 military coup.

The organization observed that Christians living in areas affected by extremist groups face threats of violence, abduction and death, while converts from Islam are particularly vulnerable to pressure from their families and communities.

During the latest World Watch List reporting period, Christians were abducted, churches and other Christian properties were destroyed, and thousands of believers were displaced by militant violence, Open Doors said.

The dangers facing Niger’s Christians form part of a wider security and persecution crisis across sub-Saharan Africa, where Islamist groups have expanded their reach in several countries.

For Kevin and Krista Rideout, however, the immediate focus after more than nine months of separation is on family, recovery and their faith.

“Above all,” the couple added, “we give thanks to the Lord.”

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