Mali junta puts €3m bounty on Sahel al-Qaeda leader Ag Ghali

Ghaly, leader of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) – the biggest jihadist force battling many of the Sahel states – is the region's most wanted man.

On 25 April, JNIM joined forces with Tuareg rebels to launch the largest attacks against the Malian junta in more than a decade. Several people were killed in the attacks, including Defence Minister Sadio Camara.

In a statement read on national television on Thursday, the military-run security ministry offered a bounty of 2 billion CFA francs for information leading to the "capture or neutralisation" of Ghaly.

The junta also offered 1.5 billion CFA francs (€2.3 million) for one of his deputies, Amadou Koufa, as well as cash for information on two Tuareg rebel leaders, including separatist Alghabass Ag Intalla. 

"These individuals are actively sought by the authorities for their alleged involvement in the planning, organisation and execution of terrorist acts that have threatened the safety of people and their property within the national territory," the statement said.

Global jihadism's growing grip on Africa

Wanted by ICC

Ghali is a former Malian diplomat and Tuareg rebel. He is also on the US terrorist list and the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.

Since its creation in 2017, JNIM has been blamed for a number of daring attacks on Mali's military authorities. 

The country has been confronted by nearly a decade and a half of unrest led by the JNIM and fighters associated with the Islamic State group, as well as by criminal gangs.

Five years after the 2020 coup, where is Mali today?

Mali's military, led by General Assimi Goita, seized power in a 2020 coup vowing to restore security.

It initially pledged to hand over power to a civilian government by March 2024, but in July last year the military authorities gave Goita a five-year presidential term that can be renewed "as many times as necessary" without holding elections.

(with newswires)