Algiers - A brother of one of seven Algerian diplomats being held by Islamist militants in Mali said on Tuesday he has been told by his government that the hostages will be released soon. Algerian Foreign Ministry officials told him negotiations were going well and the hostages were expected to be freed sometime Tuesday, he told the Associated Press. The seven diplomats were taken from the consulate in Gao, in northern Mali, when militants stormed the building April 5 after Tuareg rebels swept across northern Mali. The Tuareg rebels are seeking to establish a homeland they call Azawad in northern Mali. An Islamist Tuareg group known as Ansar Dine is currently negotiating the release of the hostages.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 12, 2017 16:41 UTC