MEA Expresses Concern Over Abduction Of Three Indian Nationals In Mali, Urges Immediate Action

MEA has expressed concern over the abduction of three Indian nationals working in a factory in Mali's Kayes region after multiple locations of western and central Mali were attacked by terrorists on July 1.

The Ministry of External Affairs ( MEA) has expressed concern over the abduction of three Indian nationals working in a factory in Mali's Kayes region and has urged the Malian authorities to take immediate action to ensure their safe rescue and return.

In a realeased statement on Wednesday, MEA said that the Embassy of India in Bamako is in close and constant communication with the relevant authorities of the Government of Mali, as well as the management of Diamond Cement Factory.

MEA condemns the incident and called it  "deplorable" act of violence.

"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 statement read.

The Ministry informed that a group of armed assailants carried out a coordinated attack at the factory premises and forcibly took three Indian nationals as hostages.

"Many military and government installations at multiple locations of western and central Mali were attacked by terrorists on 01 July 2025," MEA said. 

The attack on the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes was allegedly carried out by an Al Qaeda linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), according to several media reports.

The attack was part of a series of assaults on July 1 targeting Diboli near Mali's border with Senegal, as well as the nearby towns of Kayes and Sandere. Other attacks were reported in Nioro du Sahel and Gogoui, northwest of Bamako near Mauritania's border, and in Molodo and Niono in central Mali, according to Mali's armed forces as cited by Reuters.