A senior commander of a separatist rebel coalition active in northern Mali has been arrested in Niger, local security sources confirmed on Monday.
Inkinane Ag Attaher, a key figure within the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), was detained by Nigerien security forces last week. The FLA, formed late last year from a merger of several mainly Tuareg groups, is seeking to assert control over parts of northern Mali.
A Nigerien security official described Attaher as a “terrorist” and revealed that he was carrying passports of both nations at the time of his arrest. The detention reportedly occurred between the Dosso region and the town of Birnin Konni, near Niger’s southern border with Nigeria.
According to a local source, Bamako may soon request Attaher’s extradition.
Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—three nations now under military rule—have established the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a regional confederation that began as a defense pact in 2023.
Attaher, who previously served in the Malian army before joining the separatist National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) in 2012, has remained an influential figure within separatist circles. Observers say he has been particularly active in building international networks, with notable links to Ukraine.
Since taking power, Mali’s military government has severed ties with France and other European allies, instead aligning more closely with Russia. Ukraine is accused of backing the separatist rebels through training and logistical support, a charge fueled by Attaher’s open displays of support for Ukraine on social media.
Diplomatic tensions escalated last August when both Mali and Niger broke off relations with Ukraine, shortly after the Malian army and Russian Wagner Group forces suffered significant losses near the Algerian border. A Ukrainian military intelligence official later suggested that Kyiv had provided information to the rebels for their operations.