Kenya: On Alert as al-Shabaab Factions Clash   Kenyan security forces are on alert following reports of bloody clashes between al-Shabaab factions, which are said to have pushed fleeing militants across the border. The fighting is thought to have been prompted by the group’s execution... MORE

In the past few months, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) hit the headlines again as it carried out a massive attack in Gao, northern Mali, killing 77 people and injuring dozens more. Al-Mourabitoun, the group of Mokhtar Belmokhtar — so far, the “most-killed” terrorist... MORE

Trends in the two main theaters of jihadist activity in West Africa have moved in al-Qaeda’s favor in recent months. In the Mali/Sahel region, the formation of a new alliance has consolidated al-Qaeda’s position as the preeminent jihadist force in the region, while in Nigeria/Lake... MORE

Burkina Faso: Fears Grow Over Domestic Militant Threat A series of attacks in rural Burkina Faso have raised concerns over an increasingly active homegrown jihadist militant group operating in the West African country’s remote north. A fire at a primary school in Baraboule, in northern... MORE

In March 2017, 46-year-old Ibrahim Harun, who claims to be a citizen of Niger but was born in Saudi Arabia while his parents were on the hajj, was convicted in the court of the Eastern District of New York for a conspiracy to murder American... MORE

Mali: al-Qaeda Alliance a Warning to Islamic State An attack on a Malian military base in Boulikessi that left 11 soldiers dead has been claimed by the newly formed jihadist alliance Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, led by the Ansar Dine chief Iyad Ag Ghali.... MORE

On December 21, 2016, the U.S. State Department identified the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) operative Saleck Ould Cheikh Mohamedou as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224. That executive order, issued by the Bush Administration in the immediate aftermath... MORE

A series of large-scale attacks by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) over the last few years, targeting mainly tourists in West African countries with a French or international presence, has raised the question of when and where the next AQIM attack will take place.... MORE

Achieving peace in northern Mali (known locally as Azawad) is complicated by the proliferation of armed groups in the region, each varying in purpose, ideology and ethnic composition. Personal and clan rivalries make cooperation exceedingly difficult even when political agendas match. MINUSMA (United Nations Multidimensional... MORE

Egypt: An Intensifying Problem With Islamist Militancy A suicide bomber blew himself up at a Cairo church close to the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in December, killing at least 25 people, wounding scores more and putting Egypt’s Coptic community on edge heading into their Christmas celebrations... MORE