Mali's military security ministry on Thursday offered a reward of 2 billion CFA francs (US$3.5 million) for information that would help "capture" or "neutralize" the leader of Al-Qaeda's Sahel branch, Iyad Ag Ghali. For about a decade and a half, Mali has witnessed continuous unrest led by the Group to Support Islam and Muslims and fighters linked to the "Islamic State" organization, in addition to criminal gangs.

Published on: 06/05/2026 - 08:22

Mali announced Thursday that it had allocated a reward of $3.5 million to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest or killing of the leader of Al-Qaeda’s branch in the Sahel region of Africa.

Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of the Group to Support Islam and Muslims, is considered the most wanted in the region, as the leader of the largest jihadist force fighting the military councils that control many Sahel countries.

Read also: Mali: Attacks by militants linked to Al-Qaeda kill dozens in the center of the country

It is noteworthy that Ghali, a former Malian diplomat and one of the leaders of the Tuareg rebels, is also listed on US terrorist lists and is wanted under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

Since its founding in 2017, his group has been held responsible for a number of bloody attacks on military authorities.

In a statement broadcast on Malian state television, the army's Ministry of Security offered a reward of two billion CFA francs (US$3.5 million) for information leading to the "arrest or neutralization of Ghali," and US$2.5 million for information leading to the arrest of one of his deputies, Amadou Koufa.

The ministry also offered a financial reward to anyone who provides intelligence information about two Tuareg rebel leaders.

“The authorities are striving to arrest these individuals for their alleged involvement in planning, organizing and implementing terrorist acts that threatened the safety of individuals and their property within the national territory,” the statement said.

Mali has been witnessing continuous unrest for about a decade and a half, led by the Group to Support Islam and Muslims and fighters linked to the Islamic State, in addition to criminal gangs. The army has been ruling the country since the 2020 coup.

France 24/AFP

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