The End of the Sahelian Exception: Al-Qaeda and Islamic State Clash in Central Mali

Abstract

Until the beginning of 2020, the Sahel was something of an exception with respect to international rivalry between jihadists. This came to an end when violent clashes involving supporters of Al-Qaeda and those affiliated with the Islamic State were recorded in central Mali. The violent escalation that has taken place between Katiba Macina and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara in the inner Niger Delta should be framed as a battle between a dominant power whose position has begun to be contested, and a rising challenger trying to exploit the situation. More specifically, the rise of Islamic State appears directly connected to the material and symbolic crisis of the system of governance established by Katiba Macina in the area under its control. As the result of a process that cuts across various developments in the recent history of Mali, the conflict between the two jihadist movements threatens to unlock a new and more violent phase in Mali's longstanding crisis.

Wie sich der Dschihadismus in der Sahelzone ausbreitet. Teil 2

“…For example, the katiba Macina adopts a decentralized governance system in which Kouffa delegates authority to military and political leaders known as "markaz chiefs", who are responsible for overseeing the training camps (markaz). They also have broader governance responsibilities: collecting zakat, administering justice with the support of qadis (Islamic judges), organizing attacks, and managing finances (Baldaro and Diall 2020).…”

More than to the west, islamic terrorism and Islamism is of immense threat to Africa

“…The open hostilities against each other had led to civilian deaths, yet locals still support one group or the other in varying degrees. This competitive support only means more dire consequences in the future (Baldaro & Diall, 2020;Kamara, 2020;Mroszczyk and Abrahms, 2021).…”

Religious Persecution in Sub-Saharan Africa: Jihadism and ICC Prosecution

“…There is a recent clash and competition between them, ISIL, and Al-Qaeda at a regional level. However, this inter-jihadi fight waned when they were facing a common enemy, the now officially-ended French-led Operation Barkhane (Nsaibia 2021;Baldaro and Diall 2020). Still, both conglomerates are promoting the perpetration of extreme religious persecution by their respective affiliates in the region, consisting of serious violations of basic human rights, on allegedly religious grounds.…”