An Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, JNIM, has released a video of dozens of Malian and Burkinabe soldiers held hostage, in a move to mock Mali's junta. The clip was released just a day before Mali celebrated its 65th Independence Day. The 20-minute clip shows around 60 captives pleading for rescue. One of the hostages identified himself as a driver for the Malian presidential office, and said that the terrorists wanted to exchange them for their captured comrades. The security situation in Mali and neighbouring Sahel nations remains dire, with terrorist groups ramping up attacks despite the presence of Russian mercenaries. The Malian junta, along with Burkina Faso and Niger, has turned to Russia for security assistance and distanced itself from former Western partners like France.