A $50 million hostage ransom funded al Qaeda's Mali offensive, UN says

U.N. experts say an estimated $50 million ransom paid in 2025 freed a hostage in Mali — regional sources name the UAE as the payer, though the U.N. report didn’t identify who paid.
Most of the cash went to al Qaeda-linked JNIM in the Sahel and even flowed to Yemen and core leadership, fueling recent militant gains across West Africa.
The unusually large payment underscores how kidnappings bankroll insurgencies and erode confidence in state security as al Qaeda becomes more decentralized and Africa-focused.