An American missionary working with the evangelical Christian organisation SIM has been kidnapped in Niger’s capital, Niamey, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The incident is the latest in a series of abductions targeting Westerners in Niger, a country plagued by militant violence and governed by a military junta for more than two years.
The victim, a man believed to be in his 50s, was reportedly “en route to the border with Mali,” an area notorious for militant activity, according to diplomatic sources.
The US State Department confirmed the abduction, stating that its embassy in Niamey is coordinating efforts to secure the missionary’s safe release.
SIM, which operates across several West African countries, focuses on evangelism, humanitarian aid, and community development, including healthcare and clean water initiatives.
According to Wamaps, a collective of West African journalists, the kidnapped missionary was a pilot who had lived in Niger since 2010, providing humanitarian air transport services. He was reportedly seized just streets away from the presidential palace, in an area that hosts numerous international organisations.
No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and no ransom demand has been made, Wamaps added.
This latest kidnapping follows the abductions of two European women in Agadez earlier this year, cases reportedly linked to Islamic State affiliates operating through local criminal networks.
American missionaries have previously been targeted in Niger. In 2020, Philip Walton was rescued by US special forces, while Jeffery Woodke was freed in 2023 after seven years in captivity.
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Niger remains a hotspot in West Africa’s worsening security crisis, facing persistent threats from Boko Haram and militant groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State near its borders with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria.
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Source:Africa Publicity
