UN says $50 million ransom fueled Al-Qaeda offensive in Mali

The United Nations said a ransom of about 50 million dollars, paid in late 2025 for the release of a hostage in Mali, helped finance Al-Qaeda-linked militants and their offensive across West Africa.

According to a new UN report, most of the money was redistributed to fighters in the Sahel, while some was passed on to Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in the Arabian Peninsula and to the group’s central command.

The report does not name the hostage or confirm who made the payment, though regional sources say the United Arab Emirates paid the ransom.

Those same sources say an Emirati citizen, along with two other foreign hostages, were released after the deal. The UAE did not comment on the specific case, but said it remains committed to fighting extremism and terrorism.

The UN says kidnappings are both a funding source and a way for militants to weaken trust in the state. It adds that the Mali-based JNIM coalition now has between 7,000 and 8,000 fighters across the Sahel, half of them in Mali.

The report warns that ransom money is helping militants buy weapons, support logistics, and expand their insurgency across the region.

Mali has been gripped by a security crisis since 2012, fuelled notably by violence from groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State jihadist group, as well as local criminal gangs and separatists.

Since two successive coups in 2020 and 2021, the country has been ruled by the military, which came to power on the promise of restoring security, so far without success.