Three Chinese among five captives kidnapped in Mali
- Gunmen reportedly arrived on motorbikes to attack a construction site, burning equipment as well as fuel tanks before withdrawing with the captives
- An Islamist insurgency that first broke out in the north of Mali in 2012 has since spread to the centre and neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger
Three Chinese nationals and two Mauritanians were kidnapped in southwest Mali on Saturday, the country’s armed forces said, in the latest attack in the war-torn Sahel state.
Armed men attacked a construction site 55 kilometres (34 miles) from the town of Kwala, making off with five pickup trucks and the hostages, Mali’s army said on social media.
The assailants also destroyed equipment including a crane and dump trucks belonging to Chinese construction firm Covec, and Mauritanian road-building company ATTM, according to the army.
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A Malian army official, who requested anonymity, said the kidnap victims were working on road construction in the region. “The release of all the hostages is our priority,” he said.
Mauritania’s Al-Akhbar news agency reported that gunmen arrived on motorbikes to attack the construction site, burning equipment as well as fuel tanks before withdrawing with captives. The account could not be independently verified.
Mali has been struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that first broke out in the north of the country in 2012 before spreading to the centre and neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.