MSF worker kidnapped in Mali

A worker with the French-based medical charity Doctors without Borders (MSF) has been kidnapped in jihadist-torn northern Mali, police and a local official said on Tuesday.

The individual was seized by armed men early Monday in Gao, the region’s biggest town, a police source told AFP, an account confirmed by a local elected official.

The victim is a citizen of an African country, the police source said, while another police official said he worked in the logistics department of MSF.

The charity, contacted by AFP, said it had no immediate comment.

Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world, is struggling with a decade-long jihadist insurgency that has swept into neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

Across the three Sahel countries, thousands of civilians, troops and police have died and more than two million people have fled their homes.

Kidnappings in Mali can have multiple causes, ranging from ideology to crime, and some victims may be released after ransom is paid.