A ransom payment estimated at $50 million for the release of a hostage seized by al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali helped finance a major militant offensive and channel money across the group’s international network, according to a new United Nations report.
The report, prepared by U.N. experts monitoring al Qaeda and Islamic State for the Security Council, said most of the money was distributed among units belonging to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, the powerful al Qaeda affiliate operating across the Sahel.
“These funds played a key role in financing the group’s offensive across Mali,” the experts said.
The U.N. report did not identify the hostage or say who paid the ransom.
However, three regional sources told Reuters that the payment was made by the United Arab Emirates. They said an Emirati citizen was released alongside two other foreign hostages after money changed hands, although they did not provide details about the payment mechanism.
Asked about the case, a UAE official did not address the specific ransom allegation but said Abu Dhabi remained committed to fighting terrorism and extremist financing.
The two other hostages were Pakistani and Iranian nationals, according to two regional security sources. Pakistan and Iran did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Millions flowed through al Qaeda network
While most of the estimated $50 million remained with JNIM fighters operating in the Sahel, the U.N. experts said part of the ransom was transferred beyond West Africa.
Some of the money went to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which subsequently passed funds to al Qaeda’s central leadership and to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen, according to the report.
The location of al Qaeda’s core leadership remains uncertain, with the U.N. report saying senior figures are believed to be based in either Iran or Afghanistan.
The report was presented behind closed doors to a U.N. Security Council sanctions committee last week, according to a source familiar with the proceedings. Dated August 10, it was published on the U.N. website the following day.
JNIM now has an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 fighters across the Sahel, roughly half of them in Mali, the U.N. experts said.
The group operates across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and has expanded its activities southward into Benin and Togo, making it one of al Qaeda’s most powerful affiliates worldwide.
Ransom helped finance Mali offensive
Security officials and regional analysts say the enormous cash injection gave JNIM additional resources to finance weapons, logistics and fighters as it intensified operations across Mali.
In April, JNIM fighters and allied separatist rebels launched coordinated attacks in the capital and several other parts of the country. The assault struck Mali’s main airport and resulted in the death of the country’s defence minister.
The offensive highlighted the growing pressure militant groups are placing on governments across the Sahel, including military-led governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger that have increasingly relied on Russian security support.
The scale of the ransom was also highly unusual.
Security sources told Reuters that previous payments for foreign hostages in the region generally ranged between $4 million and $6 million, making the estimated $50 million payment one of the largest known ransoms received by militants in the Sahel.
Kidnapping remains major source of revenue
Kidnapping has long been an important source of income for armed groups operating across the region.
The U.N. experts said JNIM considers hostage-taking both a fundraising mechanism and a tool for weakening public confidence in governments’ ability to provide security.
In June, the group offered millions of euros for information about the whereabouts of Mali’s president and other senior military officials.
The latest U.N. findings illustrate how a single hostage payment can potentially reshape the finances of a militant organisation, strengthening fighters locally while also supporting al Qaeda affiliates elsewhere.
Mali’s government did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Reuters was also unable to independently verify how the ransom was distributed or determine precisely how much money ultimately reached al Qaeda’s leadership or its Yemen-based affiliate.