New Delhi: Three Indians have been abducted in Mali amid a series of terrorist attacks in the West African nation. India expressed deep concern over the situation Wednesday and called on the government of Mali to take all necessary measures for the safe return of the captured Indians.
“The Ministry of External Affairs expresses its deep concern regarding the abduction of three Indian nationals employed at the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes, Republic of Mali. The incident occurred on 1st July 2025, when a group of armed assailants carried out a coordinated attack at the factory premises and forcibly took three (03) Indian nationals as hostages,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
“The Embassy of India in Bamako is in close and constant communication with the relevant authorities of the Government of Mali, local law enforcement agencies, as well as the management of Diamond Cement Factory. The Mission is also in touch with the family members of the abducted Indian nationals.”
A group affiliated with al-Qaeda – Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) – has claimed responsibility for the attacks across Mali on 1 July, according to reports.
On Tuesday, armed terrorist groups launched coordinated strikes on the Malian Armed Forces in the western region of the country, including the towns of Kayes, Nioro, Sandare, Gogui and Diboli, according to media reports.
The Malian army has claimed to have killed 80 terrorists during the attacks. The coordinated strikes by the terrorists come days after several local militant leaders were killed and the surrender of around 10 fighters from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, reports Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency.
“The Government of India unequivocally condemns this deplorable act of violence and calls upon the Government of the Republic of Mali to take all necessary measures to secure the safe and expeditious release of the abducted Indian nationals. Senior officials of the Ministry are closely monitoring the evolving situation and remain engaged at various levels to facilitate safe and early release of Indian Nationals,” the MEA statement added.
Mail is in the greater Sahel region, which covers Senegal to Eritrea in Africa, which has battled with extremism since the fall of Libya in 2011.
The proliferation of weapons and arms from Libya has led to a number of terrorist movements to begin operating in the greater Sahel. The region remains a key transit point for African migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa looking to migrate to Europe via the Mediterranean.
In 2021, Assimi Goita, a member of the military junta seized power in Mali and has since indefinitely postponed elections and walked out of a security pact with France. Paris had an anti-terrorism mission active in Mali until 2022.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: After fall of Syria, al-Qaeda’s Indian jihadists see hope of resurrecting their Caliphate dream