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

By David Lewis LONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - An estimated $50 million ransom paid to free a hostage seized by al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali in late 2025 has helped to fund their advances across West Africa and the group's global network, U.N. experts said. A new U.N. report detailing the use of the ransom did not identify the hostage or say who had made the payment.