Three Indian citizens were kidnapped on July 1 during an armed assault on the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes, western Mali.
This incident was part of a series of coordinated jihadist attacks launched that day against military, administrative, and economic sites across the Kayes, Mopti, and Segou regions.
According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the three men, who were employees of Diamond Cement Mali SA, were forcibly taken by assailants during the factory attack. While no group has yet claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, Malian security sources attribute it to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist coalition.
Broader context of kidnappings in Mali
Mali continues to grapple with several unresolved kidnappings of foreign nationals, particularly Asian workers targeted in attacks on mining or construction sites in recent years. At least two Chinese employees, abducted in the south of the country in 2021, remain missing. Additionally, in July 2024, rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), formerly the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), captured two Russian citizens, identified as members of the private military company Wagner, during clashes near Tinzaouatene on the Algerian border. These kidnappings are widely seen as a tactic by armed groups to finance their operations or exert political pressure amid a continuously deteriorating security environment.
Official reactions
The Indian government has described the kidnapping of its citizens as “deplorable” and confirmed it is in contact with Malian authorities, the factory management, and the families of the abducted men. The Indian embassy in Bamako has advised its citizens to limit non-essential travel and maintain constant contact with its services.
Malian authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding the kidnappings but are reportedly conducting search operations in the Kayes region.
MD/ac/Sf/fss/abj/APA