Tuareg rebels free more Malian soldiers in prisoner swap, sources say

What the report says

Tuareg rebels have released about 60 Malian soldiers in a prisoner exchange involving one of their leaders, according to security sources cited by Al Jazeera and AFP. The person freed by the rebels was identified as Inkinane Ag Attaher, a former Malian army officer who defected and became a prominent figure in the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA. The exchange reportedly took place through Niger, with one source saying the soldiers were transported there on Thursday before being swapped. A second source said Niger’s government directly oversaw the arrangement.

Al Jazeera reported that Ag Attaher had been detained by Nigerien security forces near the Niger-Nigeria border in 2025 and was accused of helping organize drone training and coordinate attacks in Mali. The FLA spokesman welcomed his release in a social media post. The report also said the rebels claimed some of their own members held in Malian prisons were freed as part of the deal.

The development comes amid wider conflict in Mali and the Sahel, where armed groups linked to al-Qaeda, including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, and Tuareg separatists have carried out repeated attacks on Malian forces. Al Jazeera said Algeria has been helping mediate the prisoner releases, while Mali’s government continues to say it will not negotiate with groups it labels terrorists.

The prisoner swap matters because it suggests back-channel contacts remain active despite the fighting, and it may open the door to more releases even as violence continues across northern Mali and neighboring areas.