Three Indians working in Mali were kidnapped from a cement factory during a spate of militant attacks this week in the troubled west African nation, New Delhi's foreign ministry said.

The men were seized Tuesday when "a group of armed assailants carried out a coordinated attack at the factory premises" of the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes, the main city in Mali's western region, the ministry said in a statement late Wednesday.

It said the gunmen "forcibly took three Indian nationals as hostages".

It added the Indian embassy in Bamako was in "close and constant communication" with Mali's government, as well as "the family members of the abducted Indian nationals".

Sahel insurgency

India did not give details about the attackers, or say if it was in contact with them.

However, it said that "many military and government installations at multiple locations of western and central Mali were attacked by terrorists on 01 July 2025".

Since 2012, Mali has been battling an insurgency that erupted in the north, swept the country and spilled over into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

The junta-led nation is deeply troubled by groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as separatist movements and criminal gangs.