The ​offer follows al Qaeda-linked attacks ⁠in April that killed the ​Defense Minister and wounded other officials.

The ​attacks set off fighting across Mali’s vast desert north, raising the prospect ​of significant gains by armed ​groups.

The government offered 2 billion CFA Francs ($3.55 ‌million) ⁠for information leading to Iyad Ag Ghaly, the leader of the local al Qaeda affiliate Jamaat ​Nusrat al-Islam ​wal ⁠Muslimeen.

It offered smaller rewards for several other high ​level suspects, including Alghabass Ag ​Intalla, ⁠a Tuareg separatist leader.

The order was signed in Bamako by ⁠Major ​General Daoud Aly Mohammedine, ​Mali’s minister of security and civil protection.

–Reuters–