An Islamist insurgency has been ongoing in the Sahel region of West Africa since the 2011 Arab Spring. In particular, the intensive conflict in the three countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has been referred to as the Sahel War.
Quick Facts Date, Location ...
Islamist insurgency in the Sahel |
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Part of the war on terror and spillover of the Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present) |
Map showing areas where the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara operates |
Date | 15 February 2011 – present (13 years, 3 months) |
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Location | |
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Status |
Ongoing
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Belligerents |
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Local governments: Mali Burkina Faso
Niger[1] Nigeria Cameroon
Chad[2]
Togo[3]
Ghana[4]
Ivory Coast[5]
Benin[6]
MINUSMA[2] (2013–2023)
AFISMA[7] (from 2013)
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Al-Qaeda and allies:
AQIM (from 2007)
JNIM (from 2017)
Ansar al-Sharia of Mali (2012–present)
Ansar ul Islam (2016–present)
Al-Mulathameen
Al-Shabaab
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat remnants[2]
Ansar al-Sharia of Mauritania
National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (2012)
IS-GS
Boko Haram (from 2006, partially aligned with ISIL since 2015)[22][23]
ISWAP
Ansaru
Islamic Movement of Nigeria |
Commanders and leaders |
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Assimi Goïta Choguel Kokalla Maïga Ibrahim Traoré Apollinaire J. Kyélem de Tambèla Abdourahamane Tchiani Ali Lamine Zeine Bola Tinubu Paul Biya Joseph Ngute Mahamat Déby Succès Masra Faure Gnassingbé Victoire Tomegah Dogbé Nana Akufo-Addo Alassane Ouattara Robert Beugré Mambé Patrice Talon
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Abdelmalek Droukdel †[24] Abu Ubaidah Youssef al-Annabi[24] Iyad Ag Ghaly[25] Amadou Koufa[24] Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi † Abu al-Bara al-Sahrawi[26] Ibrahim Malam Dicko † Abdoul Salam Dicko[27] |
Strength |
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Total armed forces:
Mali: 7,350
AFISMA: 2,900[7]
Niger: 12,000 Chad: 30,350
France: 5,100 deployed in the Sahel[8][9]
Supported by:
United States: 1,325+ advisors, trainers[13][28] |
AQIM (former GSPC): 1,000[2][29][30]–4,000[31]
MUJAO: ~500[7]
Al-Mourabitoun: Fewer than 100[32]
Ansar Dine: 300[33]–10,000[7]
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
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Casualties and losses |
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34,074+ people killed[lower-alpha 1] 3 million displaced[38] |
Close
The conflict is generally seen to have begun during the early stages of the Mali War, which itself was seen as a spillover conflict of the Insurgency in the Maghreb. As Islamist Tuareg rebels overran Mali in 2012, a concurrent insurgency in Nigeria, led by Boko Haram, began to spread to nearby countries. By 2015, the Mali war had spread to Burkina Faso and Niger, which led to heavy fighting and humanitarian crises in both countries. The conflict in Nigeria also reached a climax before a coalition offensive forced insurgents into remission. By 2019, the effects of the region-wide conflict began to accelerate due to resentment within the populace and due to alleged inability to handle the conflict. These views led to a series of coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sudan, Chad and Guinea, which led to the region being labeled a 'coup belt'.