A week after the abduction of three Indians in Mali, their families remain in distress, worrying about their safety as they have yet to receive any updates regarding their loved ones. The Indian foreign ministry confirmed that the men, who were employed at a cement factory, were "forcibly taken" by armed assailants last Tuesday. The Malian government has not provided any comments about the situation; however, the kidnapping coincided with a significant series of attacks claimed by the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) across the region.
Current statistics indicate a community of about 400 Indians residing in Mali, a country with trade connections to India since the 1990s. This incident follows the abduction of five Indian citizens in Niger earlier this year during a violent attack, leaving many families anxious as they await news about their relatives.
Mali has become a hotspot for terrorism, with the Global Terrorism Index categorizing the Sahel region, which includes Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, as the "epicentre of global terrorism," accounting for a troublingly high number of terrorism-related deaths. The Indian foreign ministry has urged its citizens residing in Mali to remain vigilant, exercise caution, and maintain communication with the Indian embassy in Bamako.
The kidnapped individuals were taken from the Diamond Cement Factory operated by Prasaditya Group in the city of Kayes, which remains silent amidst the crisis. Local residents reported a pandemonium of gunfire during the attack, contributing to growing concern among family members of those affected.
In the wake of the kidnappings, the Indian government has stated it is coordinating with Malian authorities and the families to find updates. Family members of the abducted men, like the distraught mother of engineer Panad Venkatramana, are struggling with anxiety and fear as they search for information. Venkatramana's mother, Narsamma, explained that she last spoke to her son just before the incident, leaving her feeling helpless and desperate for news.
Support has emerged for these families, including calls from former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik urging the Indian government to intervene. Similarly, families in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are left in suspense regarding their loved ones, with Amaralingaeswara Rao's father expressing his anxiety and concern over the uncertainty of their return. Rao had been working in Mali for eight years and was scheduled to return to India this October.
As families cling to hope for the safe return of their loved ones, the overall situation remains precarious as the threat of violence continues to loom large in the region.
