The Challenge of Boko Haram Defectors in Chad by Bulama Bukarti
Interactive graphic: Salafi-jihadi ecosystem in the Sahel
Katherine Zimmerman | American Enterprise Institute
Katherine Zimmerman | American Enterprise Institute
Mozambique Is Emerging As The Next Islamic Extremist Hotspot // Patrick Tucker: A terror group affiliated with the Islamic State has been stepping up tactics and claiming bigger targets.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has been considering drawing down US military commitments in Africa as the Pentagon rebalances toward competing more directly with Russia and China. The coronavirus pandemic and effect on Africa has delayed the expected decision over whether to cut troop numbers, close a new drone base in Niger, and end support to the French in the Sahel.
In a recent AEI report, Katherine Zimmerman assesses Salafi-jihadi groups in West Africa’s Sahel region and concludes that groups such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State are strengthening rapidly.
Al Qaeda– and Islamic State–linked groups have expanded from an initial insurgency in northern Mali to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, and they continue to grow stronger despite the array of security forces aligned against them. The threat is often forgotten in US policy circles until attacks occur like the one in Niger that killed four US servicemen in October 2017.
Reducing US operations and the support the US provides to French and other forces in Africa would weaken the ability of US diplomats and aid workers who rely on the security US forces provide to operate, open space for global competitors, and increase instability in the region. Does the US have the adequate military strength to manage a rising China while still dealing with terrorist threats?
In a recent AEI report, Katherine Zimmerman assesses Salafi-jihadi groups in West Africa’s Sahel region and concludes that groups such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State are strengthening rapidly.
Al Qaeda– and Islamic State–linked groups have expanded from an initial insurgency in northern Mali to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, and they continue to grow stronger despite the array of security forces aligned against them. The threat is often forgotten in US policy circles until attacks occur like the one in Niger that killed four US servicemen in October 2017.
Reducing US operations and the support the US provides to French and other forces in Africa would weaken the ability of US diplomats and aid workers who rely on the security US forces provide to operate, open space for global competitors, and increase instability in the region. Does the US have the adequate military strength to manage a rising China while still dealing with terrorist threats?
AFRICA FILE: COMMON THREADS IN MALI, LIBYA, AND MOZAMBIQUE
READ THE LATEST EDITION HERE
Three failing African states took dramatic turns in the past two weeks—one toward uncertain progress and two even further from stability. The trajectories of Mali, Mozambique, and Libya will shape the African Salafi-jihadi movement and will interact with other negative trends—including destabilizing geopolitical competition—to fuel conflicts with regional and extra-regional implications.
Mali, Libya, and Mozambique demonstrate to different degrees the intersection among state fragility, geopolitical competition, and the Salafi-jihadi threat. Mali and Mozambique risk becoming hosts to disruptive rivalries like those that have prolonged and deepened Libya’s war. Collapsing governance across all three countries will help the Salafi-jihadi movement establish enduring havens that will strengthen the movement globally.
Read the full brief here.
"Vicious cycles: How disruptive states and extremist movements fill power vacuums and fuel each other," Emily Estelle, August 2020.
READ THE LATEST EDITION HERE
Three failing African states took dramatic turns in the past two weeks—one toward uncertain progress and two even further from stability. The trajectories of Mali, Mozambique, and Libya will shape the African Salafi-jihadi movement and will interact with other negative trends—including destabilizing geopolitical competition—to fuel conflicts with regional and extra-regional implications.
Mali, Libya, and Mozambique demonstrate to different degrees the intersection among state fragility, geopolitical competition, and the Salafi-jihadi threat. Mali and Mozambique risk becoming hosts to disruptive rivalries like those that have prolonged and deepened Libya’s war. Collapsing governance across all three countries will help the Salafi-jihadi movement establish enduring havens that will strengthen the movement globally.
Read the full brief here.
"Vicious cycles: How disruptive states and extremist movements fill power vacuums and fuel each other," Emily Estelle, August 2020.
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