Two Red Cross workers who were kidnapped in northern Mali in March first week were released Sunday evening.
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in a tweet wrote, “We confirm that the two ICRC employees kidnapped on March 4 between (the cities of) Gao and Kidal in northern Mali were released this evening.”
“Our colleagues are well and have been released unharmed without conditions. We thank all those who contributed to their release.”
ICRC on 4 March had tweeted about the arrest of two of its workers. “We confirm the kidnapping of 02 of our colleagues this morning … We ask for no speculation about the incident so as not to hinder its resolution,” the ICRC in Mali had said at the time of the kidnapping.
However, ICRC had not revealed any information regarding the kidnapping and the people who became the victim of it. The organisation also refrained disclosing the nationality of the people who were kidnapped.
Mali has experiencing turmoil since 2012, especially in the northern part of the country. Tuareg rebellions in northern Mali launched an offensive on 17 January 2012 calling for autonomy for their nomadic desert tribe.
The clashes has led to grave humanitarian crisis displacing millions of people. The violence also led to thousands of casualities in Mali. Moreover, the Malian army also inflicted losses of its soldiers along with the killing of civilians.
With government losing its grip in some parts of the country, the incidents of kidnapping at the hands of separatist groups have become common.
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