Life under the al-Qaeda offshoot JNIM - The Global Jigsaw podcast, BBC World Service

Key Concepts

• JNIM (Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin): Al-Qaeda's branch in the Sahel.
• Three Border Zone: The area where Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali meet, an epicenter of jihadist activity.
• Salafist Islam: A strict, fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.
• Coup Leaders: Military leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger who have taken power through coups.
• Artisanal Gold Mining: Small-scale, low-tech gold mining operations.
• Blood Gold: Gold mined in conflict zones, used to finance armed groups.
• Africa Corps: Russian mercenary group replacing the Wagner Group in the Sahel.

JNIM's Impact and Operations

• Geographic Reach: JNIM operates extensively in the Sahel region, particularly in the three-border zone (Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali), with spillover effects in Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, Togo, and Benin.
• Goals: JNIM aims to defeat governments and impose its Salafist version of Islam.
• Tactics: JNIM employs frequent and deadly attacks on military and civilian targets, including women. They take hostages for ransom and exploit natural resources like gold.
• Control and Governance: JNIM lords over large chunks of territory, imposing strict Islamic laws (Sharia) in areas under its control. This includes forcing women to wear full hijabs, banning social activities, and establishing their own tax systems.
• Attack Patterns: JNIM attacks involve hundreds of militants on motorcycles raiding villages, killing those perceived to be working with the government, and occupying towns for short periods to pillage and assert control.
• Hostage Situation: A man interviewed by BBC Ghana correspondent Thomas Naadi described being held hostage in a JNIM camp in Burkina Faso, where captured women are traded and used as suicide bombers. Children are indoctrinated and trained to fight from a young age.

Political Landscape and Coup Leaders

• Coup Leaders' Rise: The coup leaders in Mali (Assimi Goita), Burkina Faso (Ibrahim Traore), and Niger (General Tchiani) have different backgrounds and approaches. Goita was a colonel fighting militancy, Traore is a young, charismatic leader emulating revolutionary figures like Sankara, and Tchiani was in charge of presidential security.
• Anti-Colonial Rhetoric: Ibrahim Traore uses anti-colonial and anti-imperialist rhetoric, drawing parallels to Thomas Sankara, to gain support.
• Foreign Alliances: The coup leaders have broken ties with former colonial powers and sought new alliances, particularly with Russia and, to a lesser extent, Turkey and China.
• Control of Territory: The military governments do not control vast areas of their countries, with Burkina Faso losing control of 40% of its territory.

The Role of Russia and Ukraine

• Russian Involvement: Russia is a key military partner for Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, providing arms, instructors, and mercenaries through groups like Wagner (now replaced by Africa Corps).
• Official Narrative vs. Reality: Officially, Russia claims to only provide equipment and instructors, but reports indicate that Russian mercenaries are actively involved in frontline fighting.
• Struggles and Claims of Victory: Despite the rhetoric, Russia is struggling to defeat the jihadists, with both sides claiming victories in battles like those in Tinzaouaten and Boulikessi.
• Ukrainian Involvement: Ukraine has been accused of supporting separatist groups in Mali, with reports of providing information for attacks against Russian and Malian forces. Ukraine denies supplying drones or supporting terrorist groups but acknowledges sending food aid to Africa.
• Motivations: Russia's interest in the Sahel is multifaceted, including access to resources like gold and uranium, and potentially using migration as a "bartering chip" against Europe.

Gold Mining and Conflict

• Gold as a Funding Source: Gold mining fuels conflict in the Sahel, with governments using gold revenues to pay for security (including Russian mercenaries) and jihadist groups taxing artisanal mining operations to fund their activities.
• Artisanal Mining: Artisanal gold mining is a low-tech, perilous activity that provides livelihoods for many but is largely outside government control.
• JNIM's Role in the Gold Trade: JNIM doesn't directly control the mines but taxes the operations and sets up checkpoints on supply routes, acting as a "protection racket."
• Climate Change Impact: Climate change is reducing the availability of land and water for farming and herding, making gold mining an increasingly important activity and exacerbating tensions between farmers and herders, which JNIM exploits.
• Gold Supply Chain: Gold is often smuggled across porous borders to countries like Algeria and Libya, and then on to other states, including the UAE.
• Challenges in Tracing Gold: Unlike diamonds, gold is difficult to trace due to early smelting, making it vulnerable to trafficking from conflict zones.
• Gold Refineries: Mali and Burkina Faso are building gold refineries to repatriate value and capture profits, often with Russian assistance.

Humanitarian Crisis and Media Censorship

• Displacement and Atrocities: Local media reports on displacement caused by the conflict, but often blame the jihadists for civilian atrocities, shifting blame away from the state and its allies.
• Media Censorship: The military authorities in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger heavily censor the media, limiting coverage to official government lines.
• Vigilante Groups: In the absence of government protection, residents have formed vigilante groups, such as Dan Ambasago in Central Mali, to fight back against the jihadists, but they are poorly equipped.

Future Outlook

• Geopolitical Implications: The potential for jihadist groups in the Sahel and Lake Chad region to link up poses a significant geopolitical threat.
• Fragile States: The fragile states in the Sahel, with vast, uncontrollable territories and a history of coups, face immense challenges in maintaining their coherence.
• Limited Hope: Despite hopes that Russia will solve the security crisis, many people in rural areas see no improvement in security and are forced to negotiate with the militants.

Conclusion

The situation in the Sahel is a complex and multifaceted crisis driven by jihadist insurgency, political instability, resource exploitation, and climate change. JNIM's influence is growing, exploiting local tensions and profiting from the gold trade. The involvement of foreign actors like Russia and Ukraine further complicates the situation, with competing interests and narratives. The people of the Sahel are caught in the middle, facing displacement, violence, and limited hope for a resolution.