UAE pays $50 million ransom to secure release of two Emirati hostages from JNIM

Reports from Mali indicate that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has paid a ransom of $50 million (about 30 billion CFA francs) to the terrorist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) in exchange for the release of two Emirati nationals held hostage since September.

According to security sources cited in a report by counter insurgency analyst, Zagazola Makama, the ransom was paid on Tuesday, following mediation efforts allegedly facilitated by Mauritania.

JNIM had initially demanded $100 million and the release of several detained members from Malian prisons as part of the negotiation.

However, sources close to the talks disclosed that most of the requested detainees were discovered to have died under torture while in custody, which reportedly complicated the negotiations.

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The two Emiratis, along with an Iranian national, were abducted on 23rd September, 2025, in Sanakoroba/Dialakoroba, about 34 kilometres south of Bamako, the Malian capital.

Although the Malian authorities and the UAE government had not officially commented on the reported ransom payment, regional observers described the development as another example of how extremist groups in the Sahel continued to leverage kidnappings as a major source of financing.

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Zagazola’s report warned that such payments could further embolden armed groups operating across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where abductions for ransom have become increasingly frequent despite regional and international counterterrorism efforts.