Three Indian citizens have been abducted from a cement factory in Mali during a wave of militant attacks across the country, India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed late Wednesday. The kidnapping took place on Tuesday when armed assailants launched a coordinated raid on the premises of Diamond Cement Factory, located in Kayes, the principal city in western Mali, according to a statement from the ministry.
The attackers reportedly forced the three Indian workers into captivity during the incident, which was part of a wider series of assaults targeting the region.
New Delhi’s statement noted that its embassy in the Malian capital, Bamako, remains in close contact with both the Malian authorities and the families of the abducted individuals.
While Indian officials did not name the group responsible, nor confirm whether any communication has been established with the kidnappers, the ministry acknowledged that “numerous military and government facilities in various parts of western and central Mali came under terrorist attack on 1 July 2025”.
Mali has faced relentless violence since 2012, when an insurgency began in the north before spreading nationwide and into neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso and Niger.
The West African nation, now under military rule, continues to grapple with attacks from armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, as well as from separatist factions and criminal networks.
