By Enyichukwu Enemanna
At least two employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have been kidnapped in northern Mali, the organisation announced on Saturday.
They were abducted in the troubled West African country on Saturday, a country already battling Jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group who have escalated their operations into central Mali.
“We confirm the kidnapping of two of our colleagues this morning”, the ICRC said, adding that the incident took place between Gao and Kidal in the north of the country.
The ICRC, which has been in the country for 32 years, reiterated that it is “neutral, independent and impartial”, and asked that no speculations be made about the incident “so as not to hinder its resolution”.
“The ICRC deplores (the incident) and demands the release of its collaborators,” Aminata Alassane, a public relations officer with ICRC, told AFP.
The agency’s recently appointed director of operations, Martin Schuepp, visited Mali last year, saying “crime is rife” in the country, which posed a security challenge for the group.
“In spite of all that, we’re doing everything we can to reach those in distress, including in the remotest areas of the country.”
Mali is ruled by a junta that last year forced France to remove troops deployed there a decade ago on an anti-jihadist mission.
