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Tuareg rebels in Mali have freed 22 government soldiers, including some who had been held captive for more than three years, according to security and ruling junta sources.
The latest release adds to a series of exchanges involving soldiers and other detainees in recent weeks, suggesting increased movement between the Tuareg Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and Mali’s military government.
A security source said 22 soldiers were released on Sunday, while a source close to the ruling junta put the number at about 20. The FLA confirmed in a social media post that government troops had been freed but did not provide a figure.
The security source said at least eight FLA fighters were released as part of the exchange. FLA spokesman Attaye Ag Mohamed said the deal also involved the release of what he described as “civilian detainees” held in junta prisons, with some having spent more than five years in detention.
Some of the government soldiers released on Sunday had been captured recently, while others had been held “for more than three years”, the junta source told AFP.
The latest development follows several other releases this month. On August 13, the Malian army announced that 82 soldiers captured by Tuareg fighters during battles in April had been freed. Three days later, six wounded troops were handed over. Two former Wagner Russian paramilitaries captured about two years ago were also reportedly released, according to sources cited by AFP.
Mali has faced a long-running insurgency that has persisted for more than a decade and has severely challenged government control, particularly in the country’s north.
The military seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, citing the need to restore security as one reason for its political intervention. Despite the junta’s efforts, government forces have continued to face attacks from armed groups.
In April, the FLA and the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) launched coordinated attacks across the country. The offensive saw the groups capture the northern city of Kidal and resulted in the death of Mali’s defence minister.
Further attacks followed in July, when the rebels briefly captured the town of Anefis.
The repeated release of detainees in recent weeks points to continued contact between the opposing sides, although it remains unclear whether the exchanges form part of a broader negotiation to reduce the conflict.
The latest deal comes as Mali’s military government continues its efforts to contain armed groups operating across the country, while the FLA maintains its campaign for greater autonomy for Tuareg-majority areas in the north.
