Full story
Haftar helps free Rideout
Authorities in eastern Libya under military commander Khalifa Haftar helped secure the release of American missionary Kevin Rideout, held by an Islamic State affiliate in West Africa’s Sahel region, escorting him to freedom through Libya, Reuters reported citing five sources.
“Authorities in eastern Libya under military commander Khalifa Haftar helped secure the release”
Four of the sources told Reuters that a deal was brokered, with one saying a ransom was paid, while a senior source in Haftar’s forces said they carried out a military operation in Mali to free the hostage.
The Reuters report said Rideout worked for the evangelical agency Serving in Mission and was kidnapped in Niger in October, with Reuters reporting last year that three unidentified men seized him on his way to the airport in Niamey and took him to the western Tillaberi region of Niger.
The U.S. made recovering Rideout one of its top priorities in the Sahel, and the Trump administration lifted sanctions on top Malian government officials earlier this year in an effort to secure overflight access to Mali’s airspace to hunt for the pilot.
In a social media post, Trump said the U.S. looks forward to welcoming Rideout home, as the State Department declined to comment and the White House did not respond to a request for comment about Haftar’s involvement.
Competing accounts of the deal
Reuters reported that the State Department declined to comment while the White House did not respond to a request for comment about Haftar’s involvement, even as five Reuters sources described Haftar’s role in securing Rideout’s release.
Middle East Eye, citing Reuters, described the same basic outline—five sources, Haftar’s assistance, and escorting Rideout through Libya—while also repeating that four sources said a deal was brokered and one said a ransom was paid.
One senior source in Haftar’s forces gave a different account, telling Reuters that they had carried out a military operation in Mali to free the hostage Kevin Rideout, and Malian government officials were not immediately available for comment.
The New Arab added that the hostage was handed over to eastern Libyan authorities late Thursday, and that it was not clear what, if anything, was traded in exchange for his release.
The Libya Observer framed the ransom claim as coming from one of Reuters’ sources, saying the Libyan side paid a ransom, without revealing its value or the terms of the agreement that led to Rideout’s release.
Sahel security and U.S. ties
The Reuters reporting said Haftar’s involvement reflects how he has carved out a position as a major security broker in the broader Sahel region, using it as leverage to curry favour with the Trump administration.
“Haftar’s involvement in the freeing of a U.S. hostage reflects how he has carved out a position”
The New Arab similarly said Haftar’s involvement in freeing the U.S. hostage reflects how he has carved out a position as a major security broker in the Sahel region and used it to curry favour with the Trump administration.
The report also said two sources told Reuters that the recent effort to secure Rideout’s release from the Islamic State affiliate was led by Cherif Ould Tahar, a Malian Arab businessman with connections to regional armed groups and smuggling networks, and Tahar could not immediately be reached for comment.
Reuters reported that for months officials believed Rideout may have been moved to Malian territory, and that the Trump administration lifted sanctions on top Malian government officials earlier this year to secure overflight access to Mali’s airspace for search operations.
With Rideout handed over to eastern Libyan authorities late Thursday and then escorted through Libya, the episode underscored the U.S. focus on recovering him in the Sahel, while the State Department declined to comment and the White House did not respond to a request for comment about Haftar’s involvement.
