Five Indian citizens have been kidnapped in Mali, government officials confirmed on Saturday, as the West African nation faces rising violence by al-Qaida and ISIS-linked militant groups.
According to reports by AFP, armed men abducted the Indians on Thursday near Kobri in western Mali. The victims were employees of a company engaged in local electrification projects. According to a company representative who spoke with AFP, all other Indian workers have since been moved to safety in the capital, Bamako. “We confirm the kidnapping of five Indian nationals. The other Indians working for the company have been evacuated to Bamako, the capital,” the representative said.
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No claim of responsibility yet
As per a report by India Today, until now, no group has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. Mali has been plagued by years of instability, constant coups, and soaring extremist violence. The al-Qaida-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims has ramped up its operations in recent months, including enforcing a fuel blockade that has worsened Mali's economic crisis.
Kidnappings of foreign nationals are not rare in Mali. Since the 2012 Tuareg rebellion that acted as a catalyst for the ongoing conflict, jihadist groups and armed militias have used abductions for ransom or political leverage, the report states further.
Earlier kidnappings and growing unrest
As per the report, in September, JNIM fighters kidnapped two Emirati nationals and an Iranian near Bamako; they were freed last week after a ransom of around USD 50 million was reportedly paid. The group emerged from the Tuareg uprising and has since expanded its presence from northern Mali into central regions, as well as to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Mali's junta chief, Colonel Assimi Goita, who seized power promising to crush the insurgency, has realigned military alliances from France and the United States toward Russia. The move has done little to curb the violence.
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Mali under pressure
According to the India Today report, while Bamako remains under government control, attacks have risen in its periphery. Strict restrictions on movement and on women’s clothing have been imposed in territories dominated by JNIM. The Indian foreign ministry has not commented on the incident so far.
