Bamako: Armed assailants have abducted five Indian nationals in Mali, according to a report by AFP citing company and security sources. The incident occurred on Thursday near Kobri in western Mali. The victims were employees of a company involved in electrification projects in the region.
Following the abduction, the company relocated its remaining Indian staff to the capital city, Bamako, as a precautionary measure. As of this report, no group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.
“We can confirm that five Indian citizens have been abducted,” a company representative told AFP. “All other Indian employees working with the company have been safely transferred to Bamako,” he added.
Unstable Situation in Mali
Mali, which has been under military rule since a 2021 coup, has been battling insurgent groups linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda for over a decade. The deteriorating security environment has further worsened the country’s economic crisis.
The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), affiliated with al-Qaeda, has reportedly intensified attacks and imposed severe fuel blockades in recent months. Despite repeated assurances from the military junta to restore stability, JNIM continues to carry out frequent strikes, particularly around urban centres where government control remains fragile.
Widening Kidnapping Crisis
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), JNIM has engaged in widespread abductions of foreign nationals to finance its operations across West Africa. ACLED data indicates that the Central Sahel region records an average of two to four kidnappings of foreigners each year.
In a related incident, four Moroccan truck drivers who went missing in January while crossing from Burkina Faso into Niger were released in August by militants affiliated with the Islamic State, Reuters reported, citing diplomatic sources.
The latest abduction underscores the growing threat to foreign workers and the deepening instability in Mali, as insurgent groups expand their influence across the Sahel.
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