The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reportedly paid more than $20 million to secure the release of an Emirati prince who was kidnapped by al Qaeda’s powerful West African branch, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), according to a report.
This comes as the JNIM attempts to besiege Mali’s capital, Bamako, and is yielding results, putting pressure on the military government in Mali to negotiate with the group.
Not only did the UAE pay them the mammoth amount, but the ransom package also included the release of dozens of Islamist extremists imprisoned in Mali, according to The Wall Street Journal. The report identified the prince as Sheikh Ahmed bin Maktoum bin Juma al-Maktoum, a 78-year-old member of Dubai’s ruling family. He was abducted in September by the JNIM during a raid that happened at his farm south of Bamako. Footage posted by JNIM shows the militants attacking the hangar where al-Maktoum keeps private aircraft and hang gliders, the report added.
Al-Maktoum is involved in the precious-metals trade out of Mali and is one of the Emirati businessmen who maintains a strong presence in Mali, the world’s fourth-largest gold producer, which exports most of its output to Dubai.
After the prince was kidnapped, Dubai’s ruling family sent intermediaries to hold talks with Malian officials and Tuareg leader Ahmed ag Bibi, who once fought in an Islamist militant group under Iyad ag Ghali, a former rock ‘n’ roller who now leads JNIM, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Within a month, the militant group released Al-Maktoum and two associates after paying a total of $23 million in cash. A Gulfstream private jet then arrived in the Malian capital and delivered him to Dubai, they said.
“The staggering ransom paid by Abu Dhabi…to JNIM comes at the worst possible time,” said Justyna Gudzowska, executive director of The Sentry, a human-rights watchdog group, told The Wall Street Journal. “Such a large injection of resources is a huge boon for the group and will enable its extremist ambitions on the continent.”
The actions of the UAE, which fuelled the war chest of the al-Qaeda group, are widely interpreted as contrary to the US interest. Many also interpret this as proof of the ambiguous diplomatic role played by the UAE when it comes to their own interest.
