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Five Indian nationals working on electrification projects in Mali have been abducted by gunmen near Kobri, according to reports.This incident, which took place on Thursday, comes amid growing unrest and militancy in Mali.No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction.Efforts are underway to search for the missing Indians. The other Indians working at the site have been evacuated to Bamako, according to reports.Since September, the Al-Qaida-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has enforced a stifling blockade on fuel imports into Mali. The blockade has caused a widespread economic impact, leading to people queuing for hours for fuel. It has also piled pressure on the junta, which came to power on the pretext of fighting armed groups.As a result of the blockade, the government announced school closures, embassies ordered citizens to evacuate, and citizens have gone hours without power. The blockade is a major setback for Mali’s military junta in a country that relies on fuel imports from neighboring Senegal and Ivory Coast.Mali, a country of 25 million people, has battled jihadi militants for several decades, alongside neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.Militants from the al-Qaida-backed JNIM group announced the ban on fuel imports from neighboring countries in early September. This followed the authorities' earlier announcement this year that they were cutting down fuel supplies to remote areas as a measure to squeeze jihadis in their hideouts.The blockade has squeezed Mali’s fragile economy and left hundreds of fuel trucks stranded at the border.Experts say JNIM had been consolidating control in the countryside for some time, but its pressure on the country’s economic nerve points to bigger ambitions.“The growing intensity of the fuel blockade, operations on the city’s outskirts, and even reports that the group is in touch with political figures opposed to the government suggest they may now be really considering more of a Taliban-type takeover,” said James Barnett, a research fellow at Hudson Institute, specializing in African security and politics.In response to the blockade, several foreign missions have asked their citizens to leave immediately via commercial air travel if possible.Despite being one of Africa’s top gold producers, Mali is ranked the sixth least developed nation in the world, with nearly half its population living below the national poverty line.The fuel blockade has hiked commodity prices, worsening living conditions for millions.(With inputs from AP)
