Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) said in a statement that a number of Malian soldiers had surrendered in Tessit, in the Gao region.
The group said the soldiers had been given guarantees for their safety and safe withdrawal.
It said the move was part of what it described as a policy of treating as neutral those seeking neutrality. It called on other Malian soldiers across military camps and formations to follow suit and surrender, in exchange for what it described as guarantees of their safety.
