Photo credit: The New Arab
An estimated $50 million ransom paid to free a hostage seized by al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali in late 2025 has helped to fund their advances across West Africa and the group’s global network, UN experts say.
https:/ region, /youtu.be/2fjJurzdUuM?si=
Reuters reports that a new UN report detailing the use of the ransom did not identify the hostages or say who had made the payment.
Three regional sources identified the country that made the payment as the United Arab Emirates. The sources said that an Emirati citizen, as well as two other foreigners who had been kidnapped but were not referenced in the UN report, were freed after money changed hands. They did not explain how it had been done.
In response to questions about the kidnapping and ransom payment, a UAE official did not address the specifics of the case but said the country was unwavering in condemning and countering extremism and terrorism.
Most of the money went to fighters operating in the Sahel region, but some also flowed to al Waeda in Yemen and the organization’s core leadership, which is likely to be in Iran or Afghanistan, the UN report said.
The two other hostages freed were from Pakistan and Iran, two regional security sources said, without detailing ransom payments. The Pakistani and Iranian governments did not respond to requests for comment.
The UN report, written by a team that monitors al Qaeda and Islamic State on behalf of the UN Security Council, was presented to the UN sanctions committee behind closed doors last week, a source with direct knowledge told Reuters.
The findings underscore how a single ransom payment can reshape the finances and reach of a militant network. With al Qaeda’s strongest affiliates now in Africa, the cash injection has bolstered fighters who have expanded across several West African countries and challenged governments backed by Russian forces, regional security officials and military experts said.
The UAE has become an increasingly important partner for Mali’s military-led government, expanding trade and investment links, and is also a key destination for gold produced by Mali’s informal miners.
Al Qaeda, once led by powerful figures in Afghanistan and Pakistan and supported by influential branches in the Middle East, has evolved into a decentralized network whose strongest members are now in Africa.
