Mali’s state officials have inspected the sight of the abduction of several expatraites in the southwest of the country on July 17.
The Minister of Defence and Veterans, Colonel Sadio Camara and his Transport and Infrastructure colleague, Medina Sissoko Dembele, made the trip to Kwala to see the damage caused by the attack.
The burnt wreckage of civil engineering equipment showed the level of violence of the attack during which three Chinese and two Mauritanians were kidnapped.
The Chinese company Covec-Mali and ATTMSA of Mauritania are responsible for the construction and asphalting of the Kwala-Mourdiah-Nara road.
During the 25 July inspection, Colonel Sadio Camara, the Minister of Defence and Veterans, said that the Malian Armed Forces (Fama) have been pursuing “the terrorist groups in order to free the hostages.”
The Chinese Ambassador to Mali, Wan Lei, said that there will be combined “efforts to secure the release of those abducted.
The Mauritanian diplomat, Ahmedou Ould Ahmedou, expressed concern about the safety of his abducted compatriots.
He however said the mobilization of the Malian government has been reassuring.
Meanwhile Mr. Dembele, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, pleaded for “work to resume as soon as possible.”
The construction work on the road which began in November 2019, is 35 percent complete.
ID/fss/as/APA