Two French nationals have been kidnapped in Mali.

Local sources say gunmen abducted the two early Thursday from their hotel in the town of Hombori, in eastern Mali near the border with Niger.

They say the two French citizens work for a cement company.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Al-Qaida-linked militants have kidnapped several foreigners in Mali and neighboring countries in recent years.

The militant group — al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb — operates across the Sahel, a strip of semi-arid land that separates the Sahara Desert from the rest of Africa.