WASHINGTON: Kevin Rideout, a US missionary who was kidnapped in Niger, has been released and is in good health, the Christian group he worked for said on Friday.
Rideout was kidnapped from outside his home in the Nigerien capital Niamey last October, according to SIM International.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has made Rideout's release a priority in its latest strategy on African Sahel states, after years of fighting extremism found limited success.
"We are grateful to confirm that our good friend and brother in Christ, Kevin Rideout, has been released after over nine months in captivity", SIM International said in a statement.
"Kevin is in good health in the care of US officials", the group said, adding that he will soon be reunited with family.
Niger, governed by a military junta for three years, has been plagued by violence and saw a spate of kidnappings of Westerners last year.
Wamaps, a collective of journalists in west Africa, said last year that Rideout was "abducted just a few streets away from the presidential palace right in the city centre in a zone which hosts international organisations".
At one point, he was believed to be held in neighbouring Mali by the Sahel branch of the IS group.
But it was unclear which group held Rideout at the end of his captivity as he may have been moved, the New York Times reported, citing an unidentified US official. The news agency has contacted the US State Department for comment.
Niger authorities did not immediately issue any statement.
The New York Times, which first reported Rideout's release, said the 50-year-old American had worked as a missionary in Niger for 19 years and was a pilot for SIM International.
The group describes itself as "an evangelical mission agency, working with churches around the world" with teams in more than 70 countries.
Following Rideout's kidnapping, the US State Department revised its travel advisory for Niger to the highest level — where it remains.
"Do not travel to Niger for any reason due to crime, unrest, terrorism, health and kidnapping", the travel advisory read.
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