Tuareg rebels released approximately 60 Malian soldiers on Thursday in a prisoner swap brokered with Niger's government, receiving in return Inkinane Ag Attaher — a former Malian army officer and senior figure in the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-led separatist movement seeking independence for Mali's northern Azawad region. Ag Attaher had been held by Nigerian security forces since his arrest near the Niger-Nigeria border in 2025, accused of coordinating drone training and deadly attacks inside Mali. The exchange is part of a series of prisoner releases in northern Mali involving Tuareg rebels and al-Qaeda-linked fighters, with Algeria playing a mediating role even as the Malian military government publicly insists it will not negotiate with groups it labels terrorists.