The former Tuareg rebel and Mali’s ex-diplomat Iyad Ag Ghaly now heads the JNIM (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims), an alliance forged in 2017 that has become the Sahel’s most feared jihadist network.

Listed by the United Nations, blacklisted by the United States, and now pursued by the International Criminal Court with an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity, Ag Ghaly remains the primary target in Mali’s escalating security crisis.

On April 25 and 26, coordinated assaults by JNIM fighters—joined by the predominantly Tuareg Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA)—struck multiple regions, targeting key positions held by the Bamako junta. Among the casualties was Mali’s Defence Minister Sadio Camara, 47, a central figure in the ruling military council, killed in a suicide bombing.

The government responded Thursday by announcing bounties for six leaders, including Amadou Kouffa of the JNIM, valued at €2.2 million, alongside two FLA commanders: Alghabass Ag Intalla and Bilal Ag Cherif.

The official statement from the Ministry of Security and Civil Protection emphasized the rewards for “reliable, actionable intelligence” leading to the arrest or elimination of these individuals, whom it accuses of orchestrating terror attacks that have destabilized the nation.

Since 2012, Mali has grappled with a severe security breakdown, driven by the JNIM, the Islamic State, and a surge in communal criminal gangs, leaving vast areas under threat.