Mali junta's offers $3.5M reward for jihadist leader

Mali

Mali's military government has placed a multi-million-dollar bounty on the head of one of the Sahel's most wanted jihadist leaders.

Authorities are offering two billion CFA francs, about 3.5 million dollars, for information leading to the capture or killing of Iyad Ag Ghaly.

Ghaly leads the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, or JNIM, the Al-Qaeda-linked force behind some of the region's deadliest attacks. The former Tuareg rebel and diplomat is also wanted by the United States and the International Criminal Court.

Mali is offering an additional reward for intelligence on Ghaly's deputy, Amadou Kouffa, as well as two Tuareg rebel leaders. Officials say the wanted men are accused of planning and carrying out terrorist attacks that threaten lives and property across the country.

The announcement comes as Mali, under military rule since the 2020 coup, continues to battle jihadist insurgents, Islamic State-linked fighters, and armed criminal groups across the Sahel.