Ahmad 
An al-Qaeda-linked group in Niger has claimed to have captured two Russian hostages, in a video released recently.
The hostages work for a Russian company in Mbanga, a gold-mining region bordering Burkina Faso and Mali, and confirmed in the video that they were kidnapped by the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
The incident comes amid previous Russian warnings to its citizens against traveling to Niger and Mali due to the high security risks resulting from the ongoing jihadist insurgency.
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have seen a rise in armed attacks that have killed hundreds over the past year.
The deteriorating security situation has prompted the three countries to turn to Russia for support, with Russia providing military trainers and equipment to help them improve security and combat destabilizing armed groups.
The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) is an armed jihadist group operating in the Sahel region of Africa. The group was founded in March 2017 through the merger of several extremist groups that were active in the region, including Ansar Dine, the Sahara Emirate of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the Macina Liberation Front, and the Al-Murabitoun Brigade.
Senior Russian, Libyan security officials meet in Moscow