Separatists in northern Mali have released 82 soldiers, including some taken captive during a nationwide attack on government forces in April. A statement from the Malian Armed Forces said that the “freed soldiers are now safe and being cared for by the relevant authorities.”
Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the separatist Azawad Liberation Front, confirmed the release, stating that the soldiers were released on humanitarian grounds. Some of the soldiers had been held captive since as long ago as 2023. Ramadane also noted that 118 Malian soldiers are still captive.
Mali has been plagued for over a decade by insurgencies by militants affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, including JNIM, as well as a Tuareg-led separatist rebellion in the north. Violence escalated in recent months after an alliance of JNIM and Tuareg separatists carried out coordinated attacks on April 25, targeting the airport of the country’s capital, Bamako, the nearby garrison town of Kati, and several northern and central cities.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
