The Tuareg-led separatist Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, on Aug. 23 released around 20 Malian soldiers it had been holding, reportedly as part of a prisoner exchange that also secured the release of at least eight FLA fighters detained by Malian authorities, RFI reported on Aug. 24. Separately, on Aug. 16 al Qaeda-Sahel affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin , or JNIM, released around 60 civilians it had held hostage, including transport workers abducted in western Mali.