A crucial intermediary in the release of four hostages in October in Mali told RFI that the Malian authorities had paid two million euros to the jihadists for one of the prisoners, the Malian politician Soumaïla Cissé.
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In this interview broadcast on Monday by Radio France Internationale, the Touareg Ahmada Ag Bibi, himself a former member of a jihadist armed group, but also a member of parliament on several occasions, also said that the Malian authorities did not pay ransom for them. three other hostages, the French Sophie Pétronin and two Italians.
It is unclear on the possible payment of money by a party other than Malian.
No reaction was obtained from the military-dominated transitional authorities.
Despite persistent conjectures, the Malian government has never confirmed the payment of a ransom in addition to the release of 200 prisoners, including a number of jihadists, against the freedom of Sophie Pétronin, Italians Nicola Chiacchio and Pier Luigi Maccalli and Soumaïla Cissé, national political figure, who has since died.
Ahmada Ag Bibi, who had previously served as an intermediary in such operations, is said to have played a prominent role in October.
He fought in the past alongside Iyad Ag Ghaly, head of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims, an alliance affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
It was Iyad Ag Ghaly who triumphantly welcomed the prisoners released by the Malian state.
Ahmada Ag Bibi appeared in photos of the exchange.
He refutes the figure of 10 or 30 million euros in ransom mentioned in particular by Mustapha Derrar, presented by the Algerian authorities as one of the jihadists released and then taken back.
“
This is not true.
There are no such figures there.
I know that the Malian state, the transitional authorities paid two million euros to release Soumaïla,
”he said.
For the other hostages, it is less clear.
He says he has not seen any other banknotes circulating than those collected by the Malian authorities.
“
For the French, I don't know anything at all.
Me, it is the Malians who gave me a mandate,
”he said.
He also says that "
it was the Malian state that did everything
".
France has always denied having been involved in the negotiations, and having paid a ransom for Ms. Pétronin.
Ahmada Ag Bibi specifies that there are 190 prisoners that the Malian state has released, while those holding the hostages initially claimed double.
The Malian state has refused to release certain jihadist figures, he assures us.
The transitional authorities said they were in favor of dialogue with certain jihadists in an attempt to get the country out of the turmoil.
Ahmada Ag Bibi says he has not been approached by Bamako since October to play the intermediaries.
But he declares himself "
ready to render the service
" if the Malian state asks him again.