Kimberly Sue Endicott Freed After Abduction In Uganda

Ugandan security forces have rescued an American tourist and her tour guide, who was abducted in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park on Tuesday.

Kimberly Sue Endicott, a resident of Costa Mesa, California, and her Congolese tour guide, Jean-Paul Mirenge Remezo, was reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint by an armed gang from the National Park. Four other tourists were also abducted but freed a short time later.

The gang demanded $500,000 in ransom money, which the Ugandan police refused to pay. The U.S. Department of State also refused to negotiate with the hostage-takers. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cited the United States’ long-held position of not paying ransoms.

But the touring company Wild Frontiers put up the money, and Endicott and Remezo were released unharmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Endicott and Remezo are in good health, and are “safe hands of the joint security team,” the Ugandan government said in a statement about the rescue.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to address the rescue.

“Pleased to report that the American tourist and tour guide that was abducted in Uganda have been released,” Trump tweeted, “God bless them and their families!” The US State Department refused to comment on Endicott’s release, citing privacy concerns.