The U.S. State Department has issued its highest-level travel warning, urging American citizens to avoid all travel to Niger due to extreme risks of crime, terrorism, and kidnapping.
The Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory, issued on October 31, 2025, follows the recent kidnapping of an American missionary in the capital city, Niamey. It also cites the general instability in the country, which has been under military rule since a July 2023 coup.
In response to the heightened dangers, the U.S. government has authorized the voluntary departure of family members of U.S. government employees stationed in the country. The warning highlights that several Western citizens have been abducted in northern Niger this year, underscoring the pervasive security threat.
