One of the U.S.’s closest allies in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates, paid more than $20 million to secure the freedom of an Emirati prince kidnapped by al Qaeda’s West African affiliate… The ransom package also included the release of dozens of Islamist extremists imprisoned in Mali, where the prince was abducted in September 2025 and where al Qaeda-backed militants are threatening to seize control of the entire nation. The infusion of money and muscle into al Qaeda’s powerful West African branch, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, comes as the militants are besieging Mali’s capital, Bamako. Should they succeed in ousting the government, Mali—home to 25 million people in an area almost twice the size of Texas—would become the first country in the world governed by adherents of the terror group…

Sheikh Ahmed bin Maktoum bin Juma al-Maktoum, a 78-year-old member of Dubai’s ruling family, was seized during an al Qaeda raid on his farm south of Bamako…Emirati businesses have a strong presence in Mali, the world’s fourth-largest gold producer, which exports most of its output to Dubai. Al-Maktoum himself is involved in the precious-metals trade out of Mali…

Excerpts from Benoit Faucon, U.A.E.’s Ransom Payment for Kidnapped Prince Bolsters al Qaeda in Mali, WSJ, Dec. 5, 2025