Following intense protests against widespread government corruption and a deterioriating security apparatus, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was ousted last week in an apparent military coup. The coup has since drawn widespread international...
Recent attacks by Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara—local affiliates of al-Qaeda and ISIS—against one another is punctuating a security breakdown in West Africa, a region already challenged by...
Violence amongst ethnic groups in Mali has sparked concern from human rights campaigners. The country experienced its deadliest year for civilians in 2019 since Mali’s political and military crisis in 2012. Jihadists from al-Qaeda and ISIS have been...
"The Counter Extremism Project’s Riza Kumar warned: 'Wagner’s violent activities are increasing ammunition for violent extremist groups in their recruiting efforts across the Sahel. Whether or not Wagner establishes formal ties with Burkina Faso and Niger, the PMC’s impact is being felt across the region.
'As violent extremist groups expand their geographical scope, they have the potential to influence the communities on the border areas and potentially persuade them to see Wagner as predatorial rather than protective.'"
The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) released a new report today, The Wagner Group In Central Sahel: Decolonization or Destabilization? The report analyzes the implications of the Kremlin-based Wagner Group’s involvement in countering insurgencies in...
"'The threat for the United States and Europe emanating from West Africa, including Mali, is currently growing. Although it is correct to argue that both ISIS and al-Qaeda are basing their local influence and social support on already existing local grievances, ISGS and JNIM continue to subscribe to the extremist terrorist ideology of ISIS and al-Qaeda, respectively,' said Dr. Hans Jakob-Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP)."
Almost a decade after the onset of Mali’s Islamist insurgency, Bamako has yet to see a cessation of the conflict. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), Mali has witnessed some of its highest casualty figures in the...
CEP Tweet linking to "Syria: Extremism and Terrorism" report quoted: "With Wagner Group’s presence in #Mali, #Russia has continued to make inroads across the Sahel, particularly in Mali’s southwestern neighbor Burkina Faso. The Wagner Group has been accused of indiscriminate killings in Mali. More on Russia’s interventions"
Today, France announced the successful apprehension of Oumeya Ould Albakaye, a senior leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS). French forces carried out the operation on June 11 as Albakaye attempted to cross the Niger-Mali border, a...
On May 15, Mali’s ruling junta announced that the country would withdraw from the G5 Sahel, a West African security force. Junta officials claimed the decision was due to the G5’s lack of progress in defeating al-Qaeda and ISIS. U.N. Assistant...
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On January 23, 2019, two car bombs exploded outside of a mosque in Benghazi, Libya, killing 41 people and injuring 80 others. No group claimed responsibility for the blast, but remnants suggested an ISIS affiliate was responsible.
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