The attackers also destroyed equipment belonging to Chinese and Mauritanian construction companies.

According to the Malian Armed Forces, gunmen kidnapped three Chinese citizens and two Mauritanians at a construction site in southwestern Mali.

The Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) said in a statement that the attackers attacked the site 55 kilometers (34 miles) from the town of Kwara on Saturday and left with five pickup trucks and hostages. statement On Facebook.

According to the military, these people also destroyed equipment including cranes and dump trucks belonging to the Chinese construction company COVEC and the Mauritanian road construction company ATTM.

A Malian army official who requested anonymity told AFP that the victim was building roads in the area.

“The release of all hostages is our top priority,” he said.

Mauritania’s Al-Akhbar news agency reported that the gunman arrived on a motorcycle and burned equipment and fuel tanks before evacuating with prisoners.

Friends and family of Olivier Dubois, a journalist kidnapped in northern Mali on April 8, gather in Bamako for a solidarity march on July 17, 2021 [Annie Risemberg/ AFP]

Since 2012, Mali has been working to curb violence related to Al Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS) affiliated groups. The combatants have now expanded their operations from their strongholds in the northern desert of the country to their centers and neighbouring countries Burkina Faso and Niger.

Thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands fled their homes.

Abductions of Malians and foreigners are not uncommon.

On April 8, a French journalist was kidnapped in northern Mali. In a hostage video, Olivier Dubois said that the largest coalition of armed groups in the Sahel, the Organization for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), kidnapped him.

As the violence continues to escalate, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked the Security Council to authorize additional peacekeeping forces for Mali. According to Reuters, Guterres made this request in a July 15 report.

The proposed increase of 2,069 soldiers and police will bring the authorized size of MINUSMA to 17,278 military and police personnel, the largest since its establishment in 2013.

Guterres stated that the plan can only be consistent with the efforts of the Malian authorities to strengthen security and strengthen governance.

After the military officers launched the second coup in nine months in May, Mali fell into political uncertainty.