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Saudi Gazette
09-07-2025
- Saudi Gazette
Families anxious over safety of Indians kidnapped in Mali
DELHI — A week after three Indians were kidnapped in Mali, their families say they still have no information about their whereabouts and are concerned about their safety. India's foreign ministry said the men, who worked in a cement factory in Mali, were "forcibly taken" by a group of "armed assailants" last Tuesday. The Mali government is yet to comment, but the abductions took place on a day an al-Qaeda linked group - Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) - claimed it had carried out several attacks in the African country. According to government data, some 400 Indians live in Mali, a country that India has had trade relations with since the 1990s. Last week's incident comes after five Indian citizens were kidnapped in Niger, in April during an attack by armed men who also killed a dozen soldiers, Reuters news agency reported. There's no update on their whereabouts. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are fighting an insurgency linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) that began in northern Mali in 2012 and has since spread to neighbouring countries. Mali is the eighth-largest nation in the African continent and falls in the Sahel region of Africa, which the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) described as the "epicentre of global terrorism" earlier this year. The region accounts for "over half of all terrorism-related deaths", according to GTI. In a statement a day after the abductions, India's foreign ministry urged citizens living in Mali to "exercise utmost caution, remain vigilant and stay in close contact with the Indian embassy in [Mali's capital] Bamako". The men were taken from the Diamond Cement Factory, operated by Indian-business conglomerate Prasaditya Group, in Kayes city. The firm and factory have not issued any statements so far. The BBC has reached out to them for a response. The same day the men were abducted, Jihadist fighters had launched a series of simultaneous attacks on military posts across numerous towns in Mali. A resident of Kayes, where the cement factory was located, told the BBC that gunshots could be heard "everywhere" during the attack. The abductions have sparked a wave of panic among the Indian relatives of those living in Africa. The Indian government said it was in touch with the authorities in Mali, the factory where the men worked, and the relatives of the kidnapped men - but BBC Telugu has spoken to family members of two of the men who said they had little information about their relatives. The mother of Panad Venkatramana, one of the abducted men who worked as an engineer at the factory, said she last spoke to her son on 30 June. "He said he was going to work and would call later," Narsamma, who goes by only one name, said. "Three days later, we received a call from the company, but we couldn't understand what the caller was saying. Later, we saw on television that my son had been kidnapped," she added. Venkatramana is from the eastern state of Odisha and his family have lodged a complaint with the local police, seeking their help to find him. They have found support from former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik who posted on X, urging Foreign Minister S Jaishankar to "personally intervene in the matter" and ensure "early and safe release" of Venkatramana. In the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the family members of another of the abducted men - Amaralingaeswara Rao who worked as an assistant general manager at the factory - are waiting anxiously for him to return home. His father Koorakula Venkateswarlu told BBC Telugu that his son went to Mali eight years ago to support his family. "The salary [in India] was low. He has three children to raise," Mr Venkateswarlu said. His son was planning to visit India in October and had booked flight tickets. But now, he says, they have no idea when they will see him. — BBC
Scroll.in
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Three Indians abducted in Mali amid series of terror attacks, MEA seeks action to secure release
The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday said it was deeply concerned about three Indians having been abducted in Mali amid a series of terrorist attacks in the country. The three Indian men, who were working at the Diamond Cement Factory in the city of Kayes, were taken hostage during a coordinated assault on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said. On July 1, militants in the west African country carried out a series of simultaneous attacks on military posts, the BBC reported. The Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin, a group linked to the Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attacks. Mali's army said it had repelled the attacks and killed over 80 militants. However, the Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin claimed it had taken control of three barracks, according to the BBC. India's foreign ministry said its embassy in Bamako, the capital of Mali, was in contact with local authorities, the management of the Diamond Cement Factory and the family members of those who have been abducted. Press Release on the recent development in Mali 🔗 : — Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 2, 2025 '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,' the foreign ministry said. The ministry urged Indians in Mali to remain vigilant and stay in close contact with the Embassy of India in Bamako. Mali, which has been under military rule since 2020, has witnessed violence by insurgent groups linked to the Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State for over a decade.
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First Post
02-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Africa: Mali army says at least 80 militants killed after Jihadists attacked military posts
Malian army on Tuesday said that it 'neutralised' more than 80 militants after Jihadist fighters launched coordinated attacks on military posts in several towns across Mali, marking the third major offensive against the army in the past month read more Malian army on Tuesday said that it 'neutralised' more than 80 militants after Jihadist fighters launched coordinated attacks on military posts in several towns across Mali, marking the third major offensive against the army in the past month. According to a BBC report, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, claimed responsibility for the attacks and said it had seized control of three army barracks. However, Malian army said the enemy suffered significant losses in every location they attacked. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The enemy suffered significant losses in every location where they engaged with the security and defence forces,' BBC quoted Army Spokesperson Souleymane Dembele as saying in a statement broadcast on national TV. Col Dembele added that the army recovered weapons, vehicles and motorcycles from the assailants. Mali has been gripped by a deadly Islamist insurgency for over a decade, alongside ongoing violence from separatist groups. Earlier, the military reported that the attacks took place in seven towns and cities, including Binoli, Kayes, and Sandere, near the Senegalese border. Additional assaults were reported further north, close to Mali's border with Mauritania. A resident of Kayes told the BBC that gunfire could be heard 'everywhere' during the assault. 'The police station was damaged, as well as the governor's house,' he was quoted as saying, adding that casualty figures were still unclear. JNIM described its latest assault as 'coordinated and high quality' in a social media statement, though it provided no casualty figures. The group also claimed responsibility for two other major recent attacks. On 2 June, militants struck an army camp and airport in the northern city of Timbuktu. The day before, a raid in central Mali killed at least 30 soldiers. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD These incidents underscore the escalating insecurity in Mali and the wider Sahel, following a warning from US Africa Command about Islamist militant groups intensifying efforts to reach West Africa's coastal regions. With inputs from agencies
