The Malian government announced on Thursday that it is offering a reward of 2 billion CFA francs (3 million euros) to anyone who provides information "leading to the arrest or neutralization" of Iyad Ag Ghaly, head of JNIM, Al Qaeda's Sahelian branch.

Former Tuareg rebel and ex-Malian diplomat, Iyad Ag Ghaly is today the leader of JNIM (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims), created in 2017.

He is the most wanted man in the Sahel, under UN sanctions, on the US "terrorist" list and subject to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Mali is facing a critical security situation following attacks on April 25 and 26 carried out by JNIM jihadists allied with the Tuareg-dominated Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) rebellion.

These coordinated attacks, unprecedented in scale, targeted strategic positions of the ruling junta in Bamako across several regions of the country. These attacks notably claimed the life of Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara, 47, a key figure in the junta, who was killed in a suicide bombing.

In a statement read on national television on Thursday, the government said it was putting a price on the heads of six other officials, including another JNIM leader, Amadou Kouffa (for 2.2 million euros) and two FLA leaders, Alghabass Ag Intalla and Bilal Ag Cherif.

"The Ministry of Security and Civil Protection, as part of the fight against terrorism and the preservation of national security, is offering a financial reward to anyone providing reliable, relevant and actionable information that leads to the arrest or neutralization of the following individuals," the statement said.

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

Since 2012, Mali has faced a deep security crisis, fueled in particular by the violence of JNIM, the Islamic State group (IS), as well as community criminal groups.

AFP