Two Red Cross employees were abducted in Mali: ICRC

The International Committee of the Red Cross announced on Twitter on Saturday that two of its employees had been abducted in Mali.

It said that the organisation has been operating in Mali for 32 years and was “a neutral, independent, and unbiased organisation” and stated, “We confirm the kidnapping of two of our colleagues this morning between Gao and Kidal.”

It said, “We ask that you refrain from speculating on this occurrence in order to avoid impeding its resolution.

Aminata Alassane, an ICRC Mali public relations representative, confirmed the kidnapping to AFP, stating that it had occurred on the road connecting Gao and Kidal.

She stated, “The ICRC condemns (the incident) and demands the release of its collaborators.

The security situation in Mali has been deteriorating since 2012. Violence, including kidnappings of foreigners and Malians, is widespread, with the reasons for the crimes varying from demands for ransom to acts of retaliation.

An WHO doctor who had been kidnapped in Mali in late January was released in February.

In May, three Italians and a Togolese national were abducted in southeast Mali by armed attackers.

Mali is currently experiencing an 11-year-old security crisis that was started by a local uprising in the north that turned into a full-fledged Islamic insurgency.

Since 2012, the Sahel region has been plagued by violence, which has included attacks by jihadis affiliated with al-Qaida and the so-called Islamic State organisation as well as a variety of self-declared militias and robbers.

Burkina Faso and Niger, which are nearby, have also seen turmoil.

Almost 2 million people have fled their homes, and thousands of civilians, police officers, and soldiers have been slain around the region.

An American nun was taken hostage by jihadists in Burkina Faso last April and released in August.