The Malian government has announced a $3.5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Iyad Ag Ghaly, the fugitive leader of Al Qaeda’s Sahel affiliate.
According to the offer, Mali is seeking “information leading to the arrest of Iyad Ag Ghaly, the leader of Al Qaeda’s Sahel branch.” The announcement comes as the country intensifies its fight against jihadist groups operating in the Sahel region.
Ghaly is already a high-profile target internationally. He “is also on the US terrorist list and the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.” The US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program has previously designated him a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the ICC issued an arrest warrant against him in 2017 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in northern Mali.
Known as a key architect of extremist violence in the Sahel, Ghaly leads Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, JNIM, which has carried out repeated attacks on civilians, security forces, and UN peacekeepers across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
Mali’s government says the reward is part of efforts to dismantle terrorist networks and restore stability. Security analysts note that bounty programs often rely on tip-offs from local communities, but capturing Ghaly remains a major challenge given his mobility in the Sahel’s border regions.
The $3.5 million reward places Ghaly among the most wanted figures in West Africa, as Mali and its partners continue operations against Al Qaeda-linked groups threatening the region.