The US Embassy in Niamey issued a security alert warning that American citizens “remain at a heightened risk of kidnapping throughout Niger, including in the capital city”…reports Asian Lite News
An American missionary has been kidnapped in Niger’s capital, Niamey, in what officials fear could mark a new escalation in the wave of Islamist abductions across the Sahel region.
Security sources and local media said the unidentified American man, reportedly a pilot working for the evangelical missionary organisation Serving in Mission, was seized overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday by three armed men driving a Toyota Corolla. The assailants are believed to have driven the victim out of the city soon after the abduction.
A Nigerien security official with direct knowledge of the case, who was not authorised to speak publicly, said investigators suspect the kidnappers may be linked to the Islamic State organisation, though no group has yet claimed responsibility. “The investigation is ongoing, but the methods and the area suggest possible links to Islamic State networks,” the source said.
Niger has for years struggled to contain violent extremism spilling over from neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, where jihadi factions aligned with both Islamic State and al-Qaida operate. Attacks, ambushes and kidnappings have become increasingly common across the Sahel, a vast semi-arid region stretching across Africa’s midsection, where fragile governments and porous borders have created fertile ground for militants.
The abduction in Niamey is particularly alarming, as the capital had until recently been considered relatively secure compared to the country’s western and southeastern border regions. “This incident underscores how the security situation has deteriorated even in what were once safe zones,” said a Western diplomat based in the city.
In Washington, the US State Department confirmed it was aware of reports of an American citizen’s kidnapping in Niamey. “Since we were alerted of the situation, our Embassy officials have been working with local authorities,” a spokesperson said. “It is a top priority for the Trump Administration to look after the safety of every American, and we are seeing efforts from across the US government to support the recovery and safe return of this US citizen.”
The US Embassy in Niamey issued a security alert on Wednesday warning that American citizens “remain at a heightened risk of kidnapping throughout Niger, including in the capital city.” It urged US nationals to avoid travel outside secure zones and maintain vigilance.
The kidnapping comes against the backdrop of Niger’s deepening isolation from Western allies. In 2023, a group of military officers ousted the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, in a coup that upended one of Washington’s key counterterrorism partnerships in West Africa.
Since seizing power, the junta has expelled US and French military forces who had long supported Niger’s campaign against jihadist groups operating in the vast desert regions. In their place, Niger’s new rulers have sought closer ties with Russia, following the path taken by neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, which have also turned to Moscow for security assistance.
Analysts say the shift has left a dangerous vacuum in intelligence-sharing and counterterrorism operations, emboldening armed groups that once kept a lower profile. “Security has worsened in Niger in recent months,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. “Jihadis are reviving a kidnapping business that started with tourists and now has targeted aid workers.”
Kidnapping for ransom has long been a lucrative source of income for extremist groups in the Sahel. Hostages have included Western tourists, humanitarian workers, and clergy members, with millions of dollars in ransom payments reportedly exchanged over the past decade. “It’s a multimillion-dollar business,” Laessing said. “It also means Western donors and aid groups will pull out staff and suspend operations in the Sahel, which will lead to more poverty, making it easier for jihadis to recruit.”
Humanitarian agencies already face severe challenges in Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries. The withdrawal of international troops has compounded the insecurity in rural areas, where local militias, criminal gangs and Islamist factions all compete for territory. Aid deliveries have been restricted by frequent attacks on convoys, while local staff face growing threats of violence or abduction.
In Niamey, where embassies and international organisations have tightened security, the missionary’s abduction has sparked fresh anxiety among foreign workers. “People are frightened,” said a humanitarian worker who asked not to be named. “Even those of us in the capital are now wondering if anyone is truly safe anymore.”
The incident also threatens to strain already tense relations between Niger’s junta and Western governments. Washington had maintained limited diplomatic engagement even after the coup, seeking to preserve channels of cooperation on humanitarian and security issues. But the kidnapping of an American citizen is likely to test that fragile balance.
There has been no official comment from Niger’s ruling military council, and details of the ongoing investigation remain scarce. Local media reported that security forces had launched a search operation in areas east of Niamey, believed to be potential routes used by militant groups to move hostages out of the city.
The disappearance of the American missionary highlights a grim reality for the Sahel — a region where kidnappings, once rare, have become an instrument of both terror and survival for armed groups. For Niger’s military rulers, already struggling to maintain control, the case is a stark reminder that their promises to restore order remain unfulfilled.
