Five Indian citizens were kidnapped in an attack by armed men in western Niger last week, according to Nigerian security sources and Indian state authorities.
The victims were working for an Indian company providing services to Niger’s Kandadji dam project.
The kidnapping occurred near the village of Sakoira in the tri-border region, where Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali meet.
The region has been plagued by jihadist insurgency linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, which spun out of a Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali in 2012.
The Indian embassy in Niger has approached Nigerian authorities for support in securing the release of the kidnapped citizens, all of whom are from the state of Jharkhand.
The local government of Jharkhand has confirmed the kidnapping and is working with the Indian government to ensure the safe release of the citizens.
The attack that led to the kidnapping also killed a dozen soldiers.
While the armed men responsible have not been officially identified, Niger recently blamed the EIGS group, an Islamic State affiliate, for an attack on a mosque in the same region that killed at least 44 civilians.
Kidnappings have intensified in Niger this year, with several foreign nationals, including an Austrian woman and a Swiss citizen, being kidnapped in separate incidents.
The Indian government is working to secure the release of its citizens, amid growing concerns about the security situation in the region.
