The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) has handed over six wounded Malian soldiers to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for medical treatment, days after the release of 82 Malian soldiers held by armed groups.
The ICRC confirmed that it facilitated the transfer of six wounded people by helicopter from the Kidal Referral Health Center to a hospital in Gao on August 16, after obtaining security guarantees from all parties.
The FLA said the handover was carried out on humanitarian grounds and in accordance with international humanitarian law. Combined with the 82 soldiers released earlier in the week, the latest operation brings the number of Malian soldiers freed or transferred from captivity to 88 in four days, although the circumstances of the first group’s release remain unclear and the number of soldiers still being held by the FLA has not been established.
