Africa

Fulani and Jihad: The Argument Against
Simplistic Narratives in West Africa

Introduction

Islamist extremism is on the rise in West Africa, with violent extremist attacks doubling every year since 2015.1 International terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) are teaming up with local fighters and jihadist leaders to control large swathes of territory in this fragile region.

Many foreign-policy experts have noted in recent years that the epicentre of global terrorism is shifting from the Middle East to Africa, with West Africa and the Horn of Africa the most significant theatres 2 and the south-eastern corridor a rising threat.

Fulani-and-Jihad-in-West-Africa-Madeline-Vultturo

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Mapping armed groups in Mali and the Sahel

Violence is tearing Mali and the Sahel apart. But who are the armed groups behind the bloodshed? Where are international actors stationed in the region? And what motivates them all? This project maps jihadist and non-jihadist groups and pinpoints the presence of external actors in the region as of May 2019.

PM Dbeibah urges “global oil companies” to resume work in Libya

In a speech delivered on behalf of the Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the Minister of Finance Khalid Al-Mabrouk said at the opening of the “Supporting the Oil and Gas Sector” forum organized by the Libyan National Oil Corporation NOC in Istanbul, Turkey, that Dbeibah had called on global oil companies to resume their activities in Libya, given the current “state of stability”.

The participants from Libya included the Central Bank of Libya, the Audit Bureau, a number of ministers, the Libyan Investment Authority, and the Libyan Foreign Bank, in addition to Italy’s Eni, France’s Total, US ConocoPhillips, Spain’s Repsol, Austria’s OMV, and Germany’s Wintershall. Local companies operating in the sector included Zueitina, Al-Waha, Arabian Gulf, Acacus, Mellitah, Sarir, Harouge, and Al-Mabrouk.

The statement said that Dbeibah reaffirmed in his speech the government’s support for the efforts made by the NOC to support the activation of agreements and the conclusion of new ones that contribute to increasing oil and gas production.

The statement cited the Chairman of the NOC Farhat Bengdara as hailing the role of the government, the army and other state institutions in stabilizing and supporting the sector, considering that an encouraging factor for the return of global companies.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, Al-Siddiq Al-Kabir, said the current plan that helps state institutions provide support and assistance, and the follow-up committee for the exceptional oil budget contributed to the stability of the sector.

The Istanbul forum aimed to present the NOC’s tripartite plan and vision to increase production in the fields of oil and gas, support the banking sector and financial institutions for its programs and projects, and discuss partnership between the Libyan private sector and foreign companies operating in the field.

After years of fighting alongside Haftar, Chadian armed faction withdraws from southern Libya

After years of fighting alongside Khalifa Haftar in southern Libya, an armed faction of the Chadian rebels, known as the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development , announced its readiness to depart from Libya.

The Chadian armed faction said in a televised statement that it would leave its positions in the Libyan south – Sabha – and return to Chad in response to the provisions of the Doha peace agreement between the Chadian government and the rebel factions that was signed in August 2022, given the fact that the rebel group is part of the Chadian national dialogue.

ISIS admits faltering activities in Libya

ISIS has acknowledged the weakness of its terrorist activity Libya in 2022 after it had published the results of its criminal operations in the world, nearly half of which took place in Africa.

The terrorist group claimed, through one of its media agencies, that it had carried out 2058 attacks in 2022 in 22 countries, killing or wounding 6,881 people.

Confronting Central Mali’s Extremist Threat

The Macina Liberation Front has opportunistically played on perceptions of ethnic, economic, religious, and political marginalization to become one of the most active militant Islamist groups in Mali.