World Health Organization employee abducted in northern Mali

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The World Health Organization’s director-general says an employee of the U.N. agency has been abducted by unidentified assailants in northern Mali.  WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference on Tuesday that Dr. Mahamadou Diawara was kidnapped from his car in the town of Menaka on Monday. Tedros said that “health workers should never be a target.” WHO is working with authorities to investigate the abduction. The West African nation has been battling a decade-long jihadi insurgency that has killed thousands. Jihadi groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have used hostage-taking for ransom as a way to fund operations and expand their presence.