FAMa Officially Denies Releasing JNIM Detainees in Exchange for Fuel Corridor

Colonel Suleiman Dembele, head of the Malian Armed Forces information directorate (DIRPA), held a press conference in Bamako explicitly denying French and international media reports that the Malian government had released over 100 JNIM-linked detainees in exchange for safe passage of fuel tankers through JNIM-controlled supply routes. Dembele stated the Malian state 'will not compromise with terrorists.' The denial came despite reporting from RFI, Le Monde, and other outlets describing a late-March prisoner release arrangement as the basis for the temporary fuel corridor agreement. The press conference reflects the junta's domestic political vulnerability in acknowledging any de facto negotiation with an organization it officially designates as terrorist. Security analysts noted the denial does not contradict the factual reality of fuel flows resuming and fuel prices simultaneously surging — consistent with a market disruption caused by a prolonged blockade and then a deal.