- By Ajeet Kumar
- Sat, 08 Nov 2025 07:43 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
At least five Indian nationals have been kidnapped in Mali by gunmen, news agency AFP reported, citing a company and a security source. The incident occurred on Thursday near Kobri, in western Mali. The workers were employed by a company involved in electrification projects.
Following the kidnapping, other Indian employees of the company have been evacuated to Bamako, the capital. As of the writing of this article, no group has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction.
"We confirm the kidnapping of five Indian nationals," a company representative told AFP.
"The other Indians working for the company have been evacuated to Bamako," the capital, he added.
Mali situation
Mali, governed by military officers who seized power in a coup in 2021, has for more than a decade fought insurgent groups linked to the Islamic State and al Qaeda.
This deteriorating security situation has worsened the country's economic crisis, which has also been impacted by a severe fuel blockade imposed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM).
While the military leadership has vowed to improve security, JNIM continues to stage frequent attacks while increasingly asserting control over the territory surrounding urban centres.
Kidnapping issue in Mali
JNIM has pursued widespread kidnapping campaigns targeting foreign nationals to finance its operations in West Africa, according to the US crisis-monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data.
ACLED data show the central Sahel records an average of two to four abductions of foreigners a year.
Islamic State-affiliated militants released four Moroccan truck drivers in August who disappeared in January while crossing from Burkina Faso to Niger, Reuters reported, citing a diplomatic source.
(With inputs from agencies)