5 Indian Nationals Kidnapped in Mali as Jihadist Violence Escalates Across West Africa

Foreign nationals often become targets of kidnapping in Mali.

Armed assailants have abducted five Indian citizens in Mali, according to company officials and a security source on Friday, as the West African nation struggles with increasing instability and violence from jihadist organizations.

According to an anonymous security source who spoke to AFP, the workers were seized Thursday near Kobri in western Mali. They were employees of a company involved in electrical infrastructure projects.

"We confirm the kidnapping of five Indian nationals," a representative from the company told AFP.

"The remaining Indian employees working for the company have been moved to safety in Bamako," the capital city, the representative added.

No organization has claimed responsibility for the abductions at this time.

Mali, currently under military junta control, has been battling to contain escalating unrest attributed to criminal organizations and jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

The deteriorating security situation has worsened an economic crisis in the impoverished nation, where the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has implemented a crippling fuel blockade.

Abductions targeting foreign nationals are frequent occurrences in the country, which has experienced political instability and conflict since 2012.

In September, JNIM jihadists kidnapped two Emirati citizens and an Iranian near Bamako.

Those victims were released last week after a ransom payment of at least $50 million, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.