A week after three Indians were kidnapped in Mali, their families remain anxious with no information about their whereabouts.
The men, employed at the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes city, were forcibly taken by armed assailants linked to al-Qaeda’s Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).
The Indian government confirmed it is in touch with Malian authorities, the factory, and the families, but relatives say they have little information.
The abductions occurred amid simultaneous attacks on military posts across Mali, with JNIM claiming responsibility.
This incident follows the kidnapping of five Indian citizens in Niger in April, with no updates on their status.
Mali, part of Africa’s Sahel region described as the “epicentre of global terrorism”, has been fighting an insurgency linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State since 2012.
