Mali's armed forces announced on Thursday that 82 soldiers held captive by the jihadist group JNIM (Groupe de soutien à l'islam et aux musulmans) and its ally the FLA (Front de libération de l'Azawad, a Tuareg-led separatist movement in northern Mali) have been freed. The soldiers were captured at various points between 2023 and 2026, including during the FLA's seizure of the northern city of Kidal in April 2026. The FLA confirmed the release, describing it as a strictly humanitarian gesture facilitated through negotiations and undisclosed concessions between the two sides.