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Terrorist violence is increasing these days in the West African country Mali. Authorities on Saturday confirmed that five Indian citizens have been kidnapped amid increasing violence by terrorist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS in the country.

According to news agency AFP, on Thursday some armed people abducted these Indians near the Kobri area of ​​western Mali. All worked in a company which was working on local power projects. A company representative told AFP that all remaining Indian employees have now been evacuated to the capital Bamako. So far no group has claimed responsibility for this kidnapping.

Terrorism increasing in Mali

The company representative said, we confirm the kidnapping of 5 Indian citizens. He further said, other Indian employees of the company have been sent to the capital Bamako. Mali, which is currently under a military junta, has been facing instability and increasing extremist violence for several years. The Al-Qaeda-linked organization Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has recently imposed a stringent fuel blockade, deepening the already severe economic crisis in the country.

UAE-Iran citizens were also kidnapped

Kidnapping of foreign nationals is nothing new in Mali. Government control there has weakened due to continuous coups and jihadist attacks since 2012. In September this year, JNIM fighters abducted two Emirati nationals and an Iranian near Bamako. It is said that he was released last week after receiving a ransom of about 50 million US dollars.

Born out of the Tuareg rebellion in 2012, JNIM has gradually spread from the northern part of Mali to the central part of the country and the border countries Burkina Faso and Niger. Mali’s current military leader Assimi Goita had promised to end this rebellion after coming to power, but till now no significant success has been achieved.

Although Bamako is still under government control, the possibility of JNIM advancing towards the capital has raised concerns among the people. In areas where the group dominates, it has imposed strict rules — restricting people’s movement and making it mandatory for women to wear hijab on public transport. According to the Ministry of External Affairs of India, 561 Indians will live in Mali in the year 2025.