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

Tuareg rebels have freed about 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 said.

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 [Thursday] to Niger to be exchanged for Inkinane Ag Attaher and individuals allegedly linked to JNIM [Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin],” a group affiliated with al-Qaeda, a Malian security source told AFP news agency.

The agreement was directly overseen by Niger’s government, a second security source said.

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”.

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 said some of their own men held in Malian prisons were also freed.

Sources in Mali have told Al Jazeera that Algeria has been helping to mediate over the release of its soldiers.

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