France, Aug. 14 -- "Kevin Rideout is in good health and is being cared for by US officials," said SIM International, the organisation Rideout worked for.

The 50-year-old American pilot had worked for the evangelical organisation, which operates in more than 70 countries, for 19 years.

Rideout was kidnapped outside his home in Niamey - in Chateau 1, a residential neighbourhood in the city centre near the presidential palace - in October 2025.

He was initially believed to be being held in Mali by the Sahel branch of the Islamic State group. However, according to a senior United States official quoted by The New York Times, the group holding him at the end of his captivity has not been clearly identified.

Rideout may also have been moved...