Two employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were kidnapped in northern Mali on Saturday. The organization has been present in the country for over thirty years and has called for the immediate release of its employees.
The ICRC emphasizes in a statement that it operates “neutral, independent and impartial”. The identities of the kidnapped employees have not been released.
Kidnappings are common in Mali. The country has been plagued by serious political and military unrest for years. In January, a doctor from the World Health Organization (WHO) was kidnapped. He was released in February.
The unstable country in the Sahel has about 20 million inhabitants. It has experienced three military coups since 2012. Since the last coup in 2021, the country has been led by a pro-Russian military government.