American missionary Kevin Rideout has been released after more than nine months in captivity in Niger, according to SIM International, the Christian organisation he worked for. His release is significant because it follows a kidnapping in a region affected by Islamist militant violence and highlights the continued security risks facing civilians and foreign nationals in the Sahel.

Rideout was abducted by three armed men outside his home in Niamey in October and reportedly taken towards the militant-affected Tillaberi region. SIM International said he was in good health and in the care of US officials, while the New York Times reported he was with the FBI; the circumstances of his release and the identity of his captors remain unclear. A pilot as well as a missionary, he had worked in Niger for 19 years, and is expected to reunite with his family.