Mali has released 82 soldiers who were held captive by the Al-Qaeda-linked group JNIM and Tuareg rebels
Mali reports that 82 soldiers, who were held captive by armed groups, have been released and are now in government custody following months of captivity.
Mali reports that 82 soldiers, who were held captive by armed groups in the northern region, have been released and are now in government custody.
The Malian army declared the release on Thursday through a statement aired on state television, indicating that the soldiers had been “held hostage” by fighters associated with al-Qaeda and a separatist rebel group since the attacks that occurred across the country in April.
“This release is the result of a process that began right after their capture,” the army stated, noting that the soldiers are safe and receiving care from the authorities.
The al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) have taken responsibility for a series of attacks on April 25, which targeted Bamako’s airport and several other locations.
Mali’s Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed in a bombing at his residence in Kati during the attacks.
The two groups also asserted their responsibility for assaults on military positions throughout Mali on July 4.
On Thursday, the FLA announced that it had released approximately 80 Malian soldiers who had been captured between 2023 and 2026, which contradicts the army’s statement that these soldiers had been detained since the attacks on April 25.
FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane stated that the release was conducted for “strictly humanitarian” reasons.
He stated that some of the soldiers had been detained since 2023 and that approximately 118 others were still in captivity.
A source from Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed AFP that Algeria facilitated the release.
Mali has been caught in conflict since 2012, when a Tuareg separatist rebellion in the north was succeeded by armed campaigns from groups associated with al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).
The country has been under military rule since a coup in 2021, during which the junta promised to restore security and achieve national reunification.
JNIM has solidified its position following the expulsion of French forces and approximately 15,000 United Nations peacekeepersmilitary authorities, while alsohile seeking security assistance from Russian paramilitaries.
While the FLA positions itself as a secular nationalist movement advocating for independence in Mali’s northern Azawad region, and JNIM has ties to al-Qaeda, both groups have chosen to put aside their ideological differences to confront the Malian government.
