Tuareg separatists free six wounded Malian soldiers

Tuareg separatists released six wounded Malian soldiers on Sunday, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) said. The soldiers were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at a health centre in Kidal and transferred to a hospital in Gao. The FLA said it acted under Islamic principles and international humanitarian law.

The release comes three days after the Malian army announced 82 of its soldiers had been freed by the FLA and allied jihadist groups. The FLA and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) have launched a series of assaults since late April, capturing Kidal and killing the defence minister.

Mali has been in a security crisis since 2012, with violence from jihadist groups, separatists, and criminal gangs. The military, which took power in 2020 and 2021, has yet to restore security.