One of the jihadists recently released by the Malian government in exchange for several hostages, including a French woman, was arrested in Tlemcen in northwestern Algeria, the Algerian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday (October 28th), lashing out at the conditions of his release.
Tuesday, "
the terrorist called Mustapha Derrar
" was arrested after "
permanent surveillance (...) since his entry via the borders
", specifies the ministry in a statement published on its site with the photo of the jihadist.
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"
The criminal who had joined the terrorist groups in 2012, was released at the beginning of October in Mali, following negotiations led by foreign parties which resulted in an agreement,
" the statement said.
Under this agreement, "
more than 200 terrorists were released and a substantial ransom was paid to terrorist groups against the release of three European hostages
", deplores the text.
The ministry denounces "
unacceptable practices, contrary to UN resolutions criminalizing the payment of ransoms to terrorist groups and hampering efforts to fight terrorism and (...) its sources of funding
".
Read also: The release of hostages in Mali "paid dearly", according to the President of Burkina Faso
The recent release of 200 prisoners against four hostages, negotiated by the Malian authorities with a jihadist group fought for years by France, sometimes at the cost of blood, also left a bitter taste in the French military ranks.
France has deployed an anti-jihadist force of more than 5,000 men in the Sahel, especially in Mali.
Leader of international mediation in Mali, Algeria wants to resuscitate the 2015 peace agreement between Bamako, pro-government armed groups and the former Tuareg-dominated independence rebellion in the north of the country, the Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA).
SEE ALSO
- What is the French army still doing in the Sahel?
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