BAMAKO, Mali,— Two citizens of the United Arab Emirates have been released in Mali after being held captive by insurgents linked to Islamist al Qaeda group, according to four sources familiar with the talks.

The release followed a ransom payment estimated at about $50 million, the sources said on Thursday.

Two of the sources told Reuters the freed hostages were expected to be flown to the United Arab Emirates shortly.

Three sources confirmed that the UAE financed the ransom, while two others noted that an Iranian national was also released under the same arrangement.

According to officials familiar with the matter, the money is believed to have gone to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al Qaeda-affiliated group that has been fighting the Malian government.

The payment is expected to provide JNIM with significant funds as it continues its campaign against the authorities, which includes a blockade on fuel supplies.

That blockade has forced the closure of schools and caused fuel shortages and long lines at gas stations in Bamako.

Officials from Mali and the UAE did not immediately comment on the reported deal.

Mali has faced insurgencies for more than a decade, with armed groups tied to al Qaeda and Islamic State operating across the country.

The military junta that took power in 2021 has pledged to restore stability, but violence remains frequent in rural and northern areas.

According to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), JNIM and similar groups have relied heavily on kidnappings of foreign nationals to finance their operations in West Africa.

ACLED records show the central Sahel region averages between two and four abductions of foreigners each year.

Earlier this year, Islamic State-linked militants freed four Moroccan truck drivers who had gone missing in January while traveling between Burkina Faso and Niger, a diplomatic source said.

(With files from Reuters)

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