00:00More than 100 suspects jihadists have been freed in Mali.
00:04Official sources say the release is part of a deal to halt attacks on fuel convoys that have been strangling
00:12the capital Bamako.
00:14Since September, the Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM has been targeting tanker trucks.
00:20The blockade was so severe in October that it brought the capital to a standstill.
00:25Local officials confirmed the release was made in exchange for opening a secure corridor for the convoys.
00:33Security sources say the truce is temporary, set to last only until the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha at
00:41the end of May.
00:43Representatives for the Fulani ethnic group add that many of their community members, often conflated with jihadists, were also set
00:51free.
00:52Mali has been battling deep security crisis since 2012, facing threats from both Al-Qaeda and ISIS affiliates, as well
01:02as local criminal gangs.
01:04For now, the fuel is flowing again, but the pause in violence appears to be a short-term fix for
01:10a long-term crisis.
01:12Piano music plays
01:13Piano music plays
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