Anybody know who Walton is? Just an American that chose to live in a dangerous country and farm? I can’t find anything much on him.
I'm assuming he's a missionary. Bottom line: he's an American and because of that he should feel safe anywhere in the world.
Wild guess: Whatever his cover story — missionary, import/export, do-gooder — he was probably also a CIA asset, hence the effort to free him.
He was a missionary in a bad position.