Deal reached to free UAE hostages in Mali, sources say

A deal has been reached to free two citizens of the United Arab Emirates who were kidnapped in Mali by al Qaeda-linked insurgents, with the group getting a hefty ransom payment in return, four sources told Reuters on Thursday.

The hostages were expected to be flown to the UAE, two of the sources said.

The ransom payment totalled roughly $50 million and was to be paid by the UAE, three of the sources said, while two of the sources said an Iranian hostage had also been freed.

The deal could provide Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) with an important infusion of cash as it ramps up pressure on the Malian government, including by imposing a fuel blockade that has forced authorities to close schools and led to long lines for petrol in the capital Bamako.

Government spokespeople for the UAE and Mali did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

Mali, governed by military officers who seized power in a coup in 2021, has for more than a decade fought insurgent groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda.

While the military leadership has vowed to improve security, JNIM continues to stage frequent attacks while increasingly asserting control over territory surrounding urban centres.

JNIM has pursued widespread kidnapping campaigns targeting foreign nationals to finance its operations in West Africa, according to U.S. crisis-monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data.

ACLED data show the central Sahel records an average of two to four abductions of foreigners a year.

JNIM released four Moroccan truck drivers in August who disappeared in January while crossing from Burkina Faso to Niger, a diplomatic source said at the time.