After the deaths of nine of their compatriots in Pakistan in a bus blast, three Chinese nationals and two Mauritanians were kidnapped from a construction site in northern Mali.
The abductions follow growing resentment against Chinese projects, many of which are part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)—Chinese President Xi Jinping’s gargantuan prestige connectivity project.
Reuters is reporting that the kidnappings took place following a raid at a construction site, 55 kilometres from the town of Kwala, an army statement said.
The raid took place 55 kilometres from the town of Kwala.
The abductions took place on Saturday, at site run by Covec—a Chinese construction firm and ATTM, a Mauritanian road-building company. The employees were protected by a private security firm.
The attackers also bolted with five pick-up trucks before setting the site ablaze. A crane, dump trucks and other equipment owned by the companies, were also destroyed during the raid.
No particular group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) and Al Qaeda have been consolidating their hold in Africa—a resource rich continent that can fuel the rise of a new Caliphate, run on extreme ideological principles. Analysts say that IS militants, squeezed out of Syria and Iraq (SyRaq) are now moving in droves into Africa, triggering a bitter power struggle between IS and local Jihadist groups, such as Boko Haram and Al Shabab.
According to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Security Council should authorise more troops for Mali's peacekeeping mission in response to growing violence by Islamist militants, according to a Reuters report.
