On March 20, 2023, the International Committee of the Red Cross in Mali announced on Twitter that two of its employees had been kidnapped in the northern region of the country. The incident occurred between the towns of Gao and Kidal, which have been known to be hotspots of extremist violence and armed groups. The identities of the kidnapped individuals have not been revealed.
Mali has been struggling with instability since 2012 due to the activities of extremist groups in the northern region. The groups include Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Ansar Dine, and the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO). These groups took advantage of a power vacuum that emerged after a military coup in March 2012 to seize control of northern Mali.
Since then, these groups have spread throughout the Sahel region of West Africa, causing widespread violence and displacement. The crisis has spilled over into neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso and Niger, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people and the displacement of over two million.
Kidnapping has become a common tactic used by extremist groups in the region to finance their operations and exert control. In addition to kidnapping foreigners for ransom, they have also abducted locals to use as human shields, to gather intelligence, or to carry out attacks.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that provides assistance to victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. The organization has been active in Mali since the crisis began, providing aid to those affected by the conflict and supporting detainees and their families.
The kidnapping of two of its employees is a worrying development for the organization and highlights the dangers faced by humanitarian workers in conflict zones. It also underscores the need for a sustained and coordinated international response to address the crisis in the Sahel region and to protect civilians and aid workers.
