Islamic Extremist Groups Merge in North Africa
16 Jun 2017
The leaders of three established Islamic extremist groups that operate in North Africa have decided to merge their organisations following a meeting in Mali. It is unclear when this meeting took place, but it is likely to have occurred in early March 2017. The leaders of Ansar Dine, Al Mourabitoun and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have joined forces to create Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM). The organisation is primarily based in Mali, but has subsidiary groups which operate throughout the North Africa region.
Key Points
The leaders of three established Islamic extremist groups that operate in North Africa have decided to merge their organisations following a meeting in Mali. It is unclear when this meeting took place, but it is likely to have occurred in early March 2017. The leaders of Ansar Dine, Al Mourabitoun and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have joined forces to create Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM). The organisation is primarily based in Mali, but has subsidiary groups which operate throughout the North Africa region.