Africa-Press. The group linked to Al-Qaeda in Mali, known as the Support Group for Islam and Muslims, has announced financial rewards for information leading to the transitional president Assimi Goïta and several senior military officials. This move comes days after Malian authorities announced substantial rewards for information leading to the capture of the group’s leader, Iyad Ag Ghali, and other wanted leaders.
The group stated in a statement circulated on platforms monitoring jihadist activities that it is offering “a reward of two million euros ($2.15 million)” for information leading to the whereabouts of Assimi Goïta, who has been leading the country since the military coups in 2020 and 2021.
Additionally, the group announced a “reward of one million euros” for Colonel Lassina Diallo and General Malick Diaw, indicating that the amounts will be paid to anyone providing information that helps locate them or contributes to actions aimed at “neutralizing them.”
The statement described the Malian government as an “illegitimate entity,” marking a new escalation in the propaganda war between armed extremist groups and military authorities in the country.
Observers believe that the announcement of the new reward reflects growing confidence within the group following a series of military operations in recent months and indicates that the conflict in Mali is entering a more dangerous phase, amid the continued deterioration of the security situation and the expanding activities of armed groups in the Sahel region.
This announcement follows days after the Malian military authorities allocated two billion West African francs (about $3.5 million) for information leading to the capture or elimination of Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims and one of the most wanted individuals in the Sahel region.
The ruling military council announced this reward on June 4, considering Iyad Ghali as leading the largest armed group opposing military regimes in Sahel countries.
Authorities also offered an additional reward of approximately $2.5 million for information leading to the capture of the group’s deputy leader Amadou Koufa, along with other rewards related to leaders of Tuareg rebels.
Iyad Ag Ghali is one of the most prominent armed figures in the Sahel region and previously held diplomatic positions in Mali before becoming one of the leaders of the Tuareg rebellion in the north of the country.
As jihadist activity escalates in Mali, Ghali has emerged as one of the leading figures of armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda, having announced in 2017 the establishment of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims, which includes several militant factions operating in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
Iyad Ghali tops the wanted lists in the region and has been designated as a terrorist by the United States, with international arrest warrants issued against him for charges related to violence and armed activities.
Since the group’s establishment, it has been attributed with carrying out dozens of attacks against government forces and foreign troops deployed in the Sahel, as well as targeting military and civilian sites in several countries in the region.
Malian authorities stated that the announced rewards are part of a broader strategy to tighten the noose around armed groups operating in the country.
A statement broadcast by state television indicated that the authorities “are making every possible effort to capture these individuals for their alleged involvement in planning, organizing, and executing terrorist acts that threaten the safety of citizens and their property within national territory.”
As part of new security measures, the government recently announced a ban on the sale and use of certain capacity motorcycles outside major cities, as they have become a primary means used by armed groups to carry out swift attacks and navigate through vast desert and rural areas.
Authorities also decided to establish 35 areas of military significance in forests and remote areas in the central, southern, and western parts of the country, prohibiting civilians from entering them.
The Malian army’s general staff clarified that these areas are potential havens for armed elements, asserting that they will be treated as open military targets for security and military operations.
Mali has been experiencing armed rebellions and violence carried out by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS, alongside separatist movements and criminal gangs operating in vast areas of the country for over a decade.
Since the military took power in 2020, authorities have prioritized combating extremist groups, yet armed attacks have continued despite intensive military operations carried out by the army with support from regional and international partners.
In recent months, the country has witnessed a notable escalation in the pace of confrontations, particularly in the northern and central regions.
April saw one of the most intense waves of escalation in recent years when the Support Group for Islam and Muslims, in collaboration with the separatist Azawad Liberation Front, launched a series of large-scale attacks targeting military sites and strategic areas in the country.
These attacks have raised growing concerns about the ability of armed groups to expand their operations, having managed to carry out simultaneous attacks in several areas, amid warnings of the potential for them to gain new ground in northern Mali and around the capital Bamako.
The mutual announcement of rewards between Malian authorities and the Support Group for Islam and Muslims reflects the escalating confrontation between the two sides, at a time when the country continues to face complex security challenges, with ongoing activities of armed groups and the widening scope of tension in the Sahel region.
