A spokesperson for the separatist coalition, known as the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP), said the prisoners were being treated well and it was open to outreach.
"As a matter of principle, we're open to listening to all initiatives and proposals, but so far, there's been no negotiation," Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane told Reuters in an interview this week.
Third parties
The separatists have said at least 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers were killed in days of battle near the town of Tinzaouaten. Seven prisoners were captured, they said.
Ramadane said the separatists have been contacted by third parties such as non-governmental organisations and private citizens regarding the Wagner prisoners, but none acting directly on behalf of the Russian government.
The Russian foreign ministry and the Russian embassy in Mali did not respond to a request for comment on the fate of the prisoners.
Heavy losses
Following the death of Wagner's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin a year ago, the Kremlin reeled in Wagner and other mercenary groups under an umbrella organisation known as Africa Corps.
Neither Mali nor Wagner have said how many troops they lost in the clashes, although in a rare statement on July 29 Wagner said it suffered heavy losses.
Tuareg separatists launched an insurgency against the Malian government in 2012, demanding an independent homeland called Azawad. Their movement later became entangled with al Qaeda-aligned terrorist activities in the same region.
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