More than 100 suspected fighters have been released in Mali under a deal aimed at halting attacks on fuel convoys that have strained the country’s fragile economy.
Officials and security sources said the agreement followed months of assaults on tanker trucks that disrupted fuel supplies and paralysed daily life across large parts of the nation.
Since September, armed groups linked to the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, an Al-Qaeda-aligned organisation known as JNIM, repeatedly targeted convoys travelling toward the capital Bamako.
At the height of the crisis in October, fuel shortages brought the city to a near standstill, leaving businesses shuttered and residents struggling to secure basic necessities.
A local elected representative confirmed that more than 100 detainees accused of involvement with armed groups were freed in exchange for safe passage guarantees for tanker convoys.
Another representative from central Mali said authorities released numerous young detainees, after which fuel shipments moved without further reported attacks along key supply routes.
Security sources indicated the informal truce is expected to remain in effect until the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, locally known as Tabaski, scheduled for late May.
Representatives of the Fulani community said many detainees from their ethnic group were also released, noting frequent accusations linking Fulani civilians to armed movements.
Community leaders have long warned that such associations risk deepening mistrust and complicating efforts to restore stability in regions already fractured by years of violence.
Mali has faced a severe security crisis since 2012, driven by armed groups aligned with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State alongside expanding criminal networks.
The latest arrangement highlights the government’s reliance on negotiated pauses in violence as authorities struggle to secure roads, restore trade, and stabilise an increasingly fragile state.