3 Italians, 1 Togolese abducted in southern Mali, says mayor

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A mayor in southern Mali says armed men have kidnapped an Italian missionary family from their home along with their Togolese domestic worker.  Chaka Coulibaly told The Associated Press that the attack took place Thursday night in the small town of Sincina.  The couple are Jehovah’s Witnesses who were working to set up a church in the area, according to another member of Mali’s small Christian community. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the abductions, though Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaida are known to be active in the area. In 2017, a Colombian nun was abducted in the same region.