Mali junta offers $3.5M reward for Sahel al-Qaeda leader

Article excerpt

Mali's military government is offering $3.5 million for information leading to the arrest or killing of Iyad Ag Ghaly, the leader of an al-Qaeda affiliate operating across the Sahel region. The junta, which seized power in a 2021 coup, is also posting smaller bounties for other suspects including Tuareg separatists. The move signals an escalating campaign against militant groups that have destabilized Mali and neighboring countries, though analysts question whether financial incentives alone can dislodge entrenched armed movements in the region's complex security landscape.