Mali’s military said Thursday that 82 soldiers captured during a wave of attacks in April have been freed after nearly four months in captivity.
The troops were taken prisoner following coordinated assaults on April 25 claimed by the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).
The attacks struck several locations across Mali, including the country’s main airport, and left the defence minister dead.
In a statement, the army said the soldiers had been held by what it described as “armed terrorist groups affiliated with the JNIM-FLA coalition.”
The military said the release followed extensive planning and the coordinated deployment of resources, although it did not provide details on how the soldiers were freed or whether negotiations, an exchange or a military operation were involved.
JNIM and the FLA have continued to mount attacks against Malian government forces, including a new series of assaults on army positions across the country on July 4.
Mali has been battling armed insurgencies since 2012, with JNIM becoming one of the most powerful militant organisations operating across the Sahel.
The security landscape has shifted sharply since military officers seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021. Mali subsequently forced out thousands of French and United Nations troops and expanded security cooperation with Russia.
Despite those changes, militant and rebel groups have continued to carry out large-scale attacks on military positions and strategic infrastructure across the country.