Sahel’s jihadist power struggle: as violence escalates, what’s next for Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger?
The escalating conflict between the Islamic State in the Sahel and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) in the tri-border region of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger has exposed a harsh truth: military juntas' promises of security are crumbling under relentless jihadist violence. As the two armed groups clash with unprecedented intensity, civilians continue to bear the brunt of a war they neither started nor control.From political slogans to brutal reality: the failure of junta-led securityFor years, the military regimes in Bamako, Ouagadougou, and Niamey have staked their legitimacy on reclaiming territorial control and restoring peace. Yet, the grueling rivalry between the Islamic State's Sahel affiliates and the JNIM affiliated with Al-Qaida has shattered these claims. The ...