DAKAR, June 12 – A terrorist organization linked to al Qaeda operating in Mali has announced substantial financial rewards for details about the location of the nation’s president and senior military leadership, calling the current government illegitimate.
The militant group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) made the announcement Thursday, responding to similar bounty offers previously made by Mali’s government targeting JNIM’s leadership, including leader Iyad Ag Ghaly and other extremist commanders.
The SITE Intelligence Group, an organization that monitors jihadist communications globally, distributed the insurgents’ statement.
Recent al Qaeda-affiliated attacks in April resulted in the death of Mali’s defense minister, sparking widespread violence throughout the nation’s expansive northern desert regions and potentially allowing militant organizations to expand their territorial control.
The terrorist organization is offering €2 million for intelligence that leads to Assimi Goita, who heads the government from the capital city Bamako and assumed control through military takeovers in 2020 and 2021.
Additionally, the bounty announcement includes €1 million rewards each for details about Colonel Lassina Diallo and General Malik Dicko.
According to the statement, payments would be made to individuals providing location information or anyone taking direct steps to “neutralise” these officials.
