Tuareg rebels free more Malian soldiers in prisoner swap, sources say

By Al Jazeera Staff and AFP. Published On 29 Aug 202629 Aug 2026.

Key points

• Ag Attaher was a prominent figure in the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) when he was arrested by Nigerian security forces near the Niger-Nigeria border in 2025.
• The development is the latest in a series of releases of prisoners taken hostage in northern Mali by al-Qaeda-linked fighters and Tuareg rebels, including Russian mercenaries.
• Elisee Jean Dao, chief of the general staff of Mali's armed forces, issued a warning to those who continue to fight against the Malian army.
• The military has ruled the country since a 2021 coup, pledging to restore order and unite the country.
• Sources in Mali have informed Al Jazeera that Algeria has been helping to mediate over the release of its soldiers.

Tuareg rebels have freed regarding 60 Malian soldiers in exchange for one of their own leaders, a former Malian army officer turned defector named Inkinane Ag Attaher, security sources have stated.

Ag Attaher was a prominent figure in the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) when he was arrested by Nigerian security forces near the Niger-Nigeria border in 2025. He was accused of orchestrating drone training, coordinating deadly attacks in Mali and acting as an international liaison.

"Around 60 soldiers were transported yesterday to Niger to be exchanged for Inkinane Ag Attaher and individuals allegedly linked to JNIM, " a group affiliated with al-Qaeda, a Malian security source informed AFP news agency.

Meanwhile, the agreement was directly overseen by Niger's administration, a second security source stated.

Mohamed El Maouloud Ramadane, an FLA spokesman, welcomed Ag Attaher's release in a post on Facebook, sending him "wishes of courage, strength and serenity for the continuation of the struggle".

Meanwhile, the development is the latest in a series of releases of prisoners taken hostage in northern Mali by al-Qaeda-linked fighters and Tuareg rebels, including Russian mercenaries. The Tuareg rebels remarked some of their own men held in Malian prisons were additionally freed.

On Monday, General Abdoulaye Maiga, Mali's prime minister, visited Algiers in a bid to re-establish high-level discussions with the Algerian administration after tensions caused by disagreements over regional security.

Bamako has publicly ruled out discussions with groups it calls terrorists, but the releases suggest channels of communication remain open while the fighting continues.

JNIM and the FLA asserted responsibility for a series of attacks on April 25 targeting Bamako's airport and a number of other locations. That day, Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in a bombing at his residence in Kati.

Meanwhile, the two groups additionally maintained ‌responsibility for attacks on army positions throughout Mali on July 4.

"Wherever the enemy is, we will go after them and defeat them, until they lay down their weapons. For those who are Malians, our country has a peace process that allows them to come back. So I want to create that appeal again. It is not too late. For context, the door is still open, " he remarked.

Al Jazeera correspondent Nicolas Haque remarked fighting is continuing beyond Mali's borders and throughout the Sahel, but the prisoner releases and Algeria's mediation could see more soldiers freed.

When a Tuareg separatist rebellion in the north offered way to armed campaigns by groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), mali has been fighting a civil war since 2012.

For context, the military has ruled the country since a 2021 coup, pledging to restore order and unite the country.

JNIM has gained in strength ‌since the Malian soldiers who seized power expelled French forces and some 15, 000 United Nations peacekeepers, ‌and turned to Russian paramilitaries for defence backing.

While the FLA presents itself as a secular nationalist movement seeking independence for Mali's Azawad region and JNIM is an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, the two sides have set ideological differences aside to confront the Malian administration.

For now, tuareg rebels free more Malian soldiers in prisoner swap, sources say remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.