Latest Articles about Niger
An Update on Mokhtar Belmokhtar: Is the One-Eyed Jihadist Still Alive?
Who is Mokhtar Belmokhtar? Mokhtar Belmokhtar is an Algerian national who fought in the country’s 1990s civil conflict and later became a commander in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)’s southern branch. He was given the moniker “Mr. Marlboro” on account of his role in... MORE
Counter-Boko Haram Offensives in Chad, Niger, and Nigeria under the Specter of Coronavirus: Public Relations or Permanent Destruction?
At the end of March, Chadian president Idriss Déby announced the launch of a “merciless” offensive against ‘Boko Haram,’ albeit without clarifying whether Chad would target the larger faction, Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), or the smaller faction, Jamaat Ahlussunnah lid-Dawa wal-Jihad (JAS)... MORE
Terrorist Threat as a Pre-Text: Russia Strengthens Ties with G5 Sahel
Introduction Following the 1991 dissolution of the USSR—which maintained diplomatic relations with 46 African countries in the mid-1980s—the Russian Federation lost a large part of the Soviet influence on the continent. Beginning in the mid-2000s, however, Russia`s regional policy started to change, and the outbreak... MORE
Islamic State in West Africa Province’s Factional Disputes and the Battle With Boko Haram
Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), like other jihadist groups, is prone to internal leadership purges. After pledging loyalty to Abubakar al-Baghdadi and joining Islamic State (IS) in March 2015, ISWAP’s hardline leader, Abubakar Shekau, was ejected from the group in August 2016. IS... MORE
Counterinsurgency in the Sahel is at Risk of Unraveling
In recent weeks, international attention has focused on the consequences of heightened U.S.-Iranian tensions in the Middle East, and more recently, on an attempted jihadist attack on the streets of South London on February 2. Away from the gaze of most international media, the latest... MORE
Burkina Faso: Jihadists’ Ethnic Strategy and the Koglweogo Problem
The Sahel has quickly become an epicenter of terrorism, with the once relatively stable Burkina Faso on the verge of replacing Mali as a focal point of jihadist violence. Instability from the prolonged conflict in Libya has been emanating into Mali and beyond since the... MORE
Boko Haram Factionalization: Who are Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) Fighters in Niger and Chad?
In March, the shura (consultative council) of Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) released an audio recording announcing Abdullah Ibn Umar al-Barnawi (a.k.a. “Ba Idrisa”) as ISWAP’s new leader (Twitter.com/A_Salkida, March 4). [1] Ba Idrisa had formerly been a follower of Muhammed Yusuf, who... MORE
Boko Haram’s Backyard: The Ongoing Battle in Cameroon
The epicenter of the Boko Haram insurgency has always been in Nigeria’s northeastern-most Borno State. Since 2013, however, the insurgency has spilled over the border into Cameroon. Boko Haram attacks killed nearly 2,500 Cameroonians between 2014 and 2017, according to Cameroon's defense ministry (aa.com.tr, October... MORE