Eighty-two Malian soldiers held hostage by terrorist groups since April were released on Thursday, the General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces announced.
“The soldiers are now safe and are being taken care of by the relevant authorities,” the Malian army said in a statement.
The release was “the outcome of a process initiated immediately after their capture” by the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), the army said.
The operation, the statement notes, involved coordinated planning and the mobilization of the necessary resources. It did not provide further details on the circumstances of their release.
Praising the soldiers’ courage and resilience during their captivity, the Malian army reaffirmed its determination to continue its mission of defending the national territory, protecting the population and safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity.
The Al-Qaeda-linked groups and the FLA launched a series of coordinated attacks on April 25 and 26 against strategic army positions in several Malian cities.
The attacks left several people dead, including Defense Minister General Sadio Camara, and resulted in the capture of several Malian soldiers.
Mali has faced a persistent security crisis since 2012, driven by the activities of armed groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as separatist demands in the country’s north.