Mali releases 82 soldiers in mediated handover amid conflicting accounts
The Malian Defence Ministry confirms the safe return of troops held by al-Qaeda-linked and separatist forces, while the Azawad Liberation Front cites a broader timeframe for the captives’ detention.
The Malian army has confirmed the release of 82 soldiers held hostage by armed groups in the country’s north, marking a significant development in the ongoing conflict. The Malian Defence Ministry announced the release in a statement broadcast on state television, asserting that the troops had been detained since nationwide attacks in April and have now been handed over into government care.
The handover was mediated by Algeria, according to a source within Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs who spoke to the AFP news agency. The military described the release as the culmination of a process initiated immediately following the soldiers' capture, confirming that the personnel are safe and under the authority’s supervision.
The Malian government attributed the soldiers' detention to attacks carried out by al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). These groups claimed responsibility for a series of assaults on 25 April targeting Bamako’s airport and other locations, as well as subsequent attacks on army positions on 4 July. The April offensive also resulted in the death of Defence Minister Sadio Camara in a bombing at his residence in Kati.
However, the FLA presented a divergent account of the events. In a separate statement, the group claimed responsibility for releasing approximately 80 soldiers taken between 2023 and 2026. Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the FLA, stated that the release was conducted for “strictly humanitarian” reasons. The group did not immediately explain the discrepancy between its timeline and the army’s assertion that the soldiers were held only since the April attacks.
Ramadane further noted that some of the released personnel had been captive since 2023 and that approximately 118 other soldiers remained in the hands of armed groups. Mali has been engaged in a civil war since 2012, a conflict that has evolved from Tuareg separatist rebellions to include campaigns by groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL. Since the 2021 military coup, which saw the expulsion of French forces and UN peacekeepers in favour of Russian paramilitary support, the FLA and JNIM have set aside ideological differences to confront the Malian government.
