NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — The man who acted as the spokesman for one of the three al-Qaida-linked groups occupying northern Mali turned himself in over the weekend to Mauritanian authorities on the border, an intelligence official briefed on the matter confirmed on Monday.

Sanda Ould Boumana, the Timbuktu-based spokesman for Ansar Dine, is being transferred to Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott. The official, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, said that Ould Boumana had previously tried to negotiate a deal with Algeria, which also borders Mali.