Five Indians working on electrification projects kidnapped in Mali amid jihadist violence
Other employees have been evacuated to Bamako. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, which are common in the country facing ongoing violence.
Five Indians were kidnapped in Mali on Thursday, according to a report by AFP citing their employer and a security source, as the West African nation struggles with increasing unrest and jihadist attacks.
The workers were kidnapped near Kobri in western Mali, the security source, who spoke to AFP anonymously, said. They were employed by a company involved in electrification projects.
“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.
No group has claimed the kidnappings so far.
Mali is ruled by military junta
Mali, currently under a military junta, has been grappling with rising unrest attributed to criminal gangs and jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The deteriorating security situation has worsened the country's economic crisis, with the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) enforcing a crippling fuel blockade.
Kidnappings targeting foreigners are common in the country, which has been plagued by coups and conflicts since 2012.
In September, JNIM jihadists abducted two Emirati nationals and an Iranian near Bamako.
According to AFP citing sources familiar with the negotiations, the hostages were released last week after a ransom of at least $50 million was paid.
What's happening in Mali?
The crisis has forced school closures, disrupted harvesting in several regions, and limited access to electricity.
On Monday, President Assimi Goita urged citizens to help by reducing unnecessary travel, while pledging to “do everything possible to deliver fuel.”
Alioune Tine, the former UN independent expert on human rights in Mali, called Goita's statement a “terrible admission of failure.”
The military junta, which seized power in consecutive coups in 2020 and 2021, had vowed to halt the jihadist expansion that has plagued the country for more than a decade.
What is JNIM's objective?
JNIM is the most influential jihadist group in Mali and the “most significant threat in the Sahel”, according to the United Nations.
JNIM seeks to implement Sharia law and aims to undermine the legitimacy of Sahelian states, both militarily and politically, by presenting itself as a more credible alternative.
The group exerts indirect control over villages through agreements tailored to local conditions, claiming in its propaganda to protect the local population.
In recent months, JNIM has expanded its influence across a significant portion of territory, though the exact extent remains unclear, funding its operations through taxation and kidnappings for ransom.
Last week JNIM obtained “at least $50 million” for the release of two Emirati hostages and their Iranian employee, AFP learned from sources close to the negotiations.
For Sambe, the jihadists' "strategic objective" with their blockade is to "bring down the regime".
And one European security source told AFP that JNIM "wants to overthrow the junta and install a government with which it can negotiate, which it can force to implement its agenda".
Here's what experts think
Experts say JNIM had been consolidating control in the countryside for some time, but its pressure on of the country’s economic nerve points to bigger ambitions.
“The growing intensity of the fuel blockade, operations on the city’s outskirts, and even reports that the group is in touch with political figures opposed to the government suggest they may now be really considering more of a Taliban-type takeover,” said James Barnett, a research fellow at Hudson Institute, specialising in African security and politics, as reported by AP.
According to the Soufan Center think tank, “if Mali falls, there could be a domino effect with other governments in the region, including in Burkina Faso and/or Niger”, two other countries led by juntas.
Experts say JNIM had been consolidating control in the countryside for some time, but its pressure on of the country’s economic nerve points to bigger ambitions.
“The growing intensity of the fuel blockade, operations on the city’s outskirts, and even reports that the group is in touch with political figures opposed to the government suggest they may now be really considering more of a Taliban-type takeover,” said James Barnett, a research fellow at Hudson Institute, specialising in African security and politics.
For Alioune Tine, formerly the UN's independent expert on the human rights situation in Mali, the leader's statement was a "terrible admission of failure".
Tine, the former independent UN expert, said the "collapse of the Malian state" would have "catastrophic consequences" throughout the region.
According to the Soufan Center think tank, "if Mali falls, there could be a domino effect with other governments in the region, including in Burkina Faso and/or Niger", two other countries led by juntas.
(With inputs from AP, AFP)