Al Qaeda & Islamic state subscriber groups in Africa

Ansar al-Shariah in Tunisia: Ansar al-Shariah in Tunisia (AST) was a Salafi-jihadist militant organization set up in 2011 that combined community service, proselytization, and violence to sell its Salafi ideology and desires in Tunisia. The organization aimed to set up Shariah law in Tunisia and promoted the concept of global jihad. The organization targeted the Tunisian authorities and armed forces, using a Dawa, or charitable works, campaign to gain trust amongst Tunisian communities. Since its establishment, AST supported Al Qaeda; however, in 2014, multiple AST leaders, together with AST spokesman Seifeddine Rais, swore loyalty to IS. Many left the organization to combat in Syria. It is uncertain whether or not the organization keeps to function secretly or its members have dispersed to sign up for different jihad groups.

The Egyptian Islamic Group: The Egyptian Islamic Group (EIJ) was a splinter of the Muslim Brotherhood, it's a militant Islamist organization founded in 1979. It is most well-known for its 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and its close ties to Al Qaeda. The organization originated in Egypt, however following a crackdown through the Egyptian authorities, among the organization’s participants emigrated first to Afghanistan, then to Sudan, and ultimately returned to Afghanistan. Although initially, the EIJ sought to overthrow the Egyptian authorities and set up an Islamic state in its stead, as the EIJ grew greater intertwined with Al Qaeda, it reoriented to focus on worldwide Jihad in opposition to the West. The EIJ’s most well-known chief was Aymenn al-Zawahiri, who have become Osama bin Laden’s 2d in command in Al Qaeda after the EIJ merged into Al Qaeda in 1998.

Islamic State – Sinai Province:(Egypt): The Islamic State – Sinai Province (usually referred to as Wilayat Sinai, firstly referred to as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, also referred to as IS-IP or IS-SP) is a Salafi jihadist organization formed following the toppling of Hosni Mubarak’s regime in 2011. Founded as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (ABM), the organization’s said purpose from 2011 to 2013 was to free Jerusalem from Western impact and rid Egypt of any Israeli presence. However, after the fall of Mohammed Morsi’s authorities in 2013, ABM shifted its attention to seeking revenge in opposition to the Egyptian police and security forces for their violent crackdown on Islamist dissidents. In November 2014, ABM pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and renamed itself the Islamic State – Sinai Province (Wilayat Sinai) in an try to extend the IS “caliphate” to this region. Due to the Egyptian authorities’ counterinsurgency crackdown on Wilayat Sinai, the organization originally depended on bombings and assassinations to keep away from direct touch with the better-equipped Egyptian army. Wilayat Sinai became responsible for trying to assassinate the Egyptian Interior Minister in 2013, in addition to numerous assaults on Egyptian squaddies and police. Since its promise of fealty to IS in 2014, Wilayat Sinai has increasingly engaged in attacks on security employees and civilian targets.

Wilayat Sinai shares a similar ideology as Al Qaeda (AQ) and announced themselves AQ’s wing in the Sinai in 2011. However, regardless of sharing a comparable ideology, Wilayat Sinai and AQ were never formal affiliates.

Ansar al-Shariah (Libya): Ansar al-Shariah in Libya (ASL) was an Islamist organization that formed when smaller militant organizations, Ansar al-Shariah in Benghazi (ASB) and Ansar al-Shariah in Derna (ASD), each simplest a couple of months old themselves, merged in the aftermath of the February 2011 Libyan rebellion in opposition to Muammar el-Qaddafi. Despite their union, the organizations operated relatively separately under the label Ansar al-Shariah and in 2014, the U.S. authorities indexed them separately as designated terrorist organizations. ASL aimed to enforce a strict interpretation of Shariah law in Libya and opposed democracy. The organization fought the Libyan authorities and its armed forces, and at the same time sought to gain famous support via large charitable movements in Libyan communities. Although ASL publicly denied a relationship with Al Qaeda (AQ), the organization released statements in support of AQ and its leaders and allegedly acted as an AQ ally.

Boko Haram: Boko Haram was formed in 2002 whilst Mohammed Yusuf, a famous preacher and proselytizer of the Izala sect of Islam in the Maiduguri area of Nigeria, started to radicalize his discourse to reject all secular elements of Nigerian society. In 2002, Mohammad Yusuf shaped Boko Haram as a Sunni Islamist sect to oppose Western schooling and set up an Islamic state in Nigeria. The organization has executed numerous assaults since 2009, which includes the 2011 bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Abuja, however is best recognized for the 2014 Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping, when the organization kidnapped over three hundred young Nigerian girls. Its number one base of operation is in northeastern Nigeria, however, it has performed restricted operations in Cameroon and Niger. In March 2015, Boko Haram have become an associate of the Islamic State (IS). In August 2016, leadership struggles brought about a split inside Boko Haram, pitting the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) in opposition to Jama’atu Ahl al-Sunnah Lil-Dawa wal-Jihad (JAS).

Jund al-Khilafah (JaK): Jund al-Khilafah (JaK) is a Salafist militant group based in Algeria that aims to overthrow the Algerian government and establish a strict Sunni caliphate. In September 2014, Jund al-Khilafah split from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) because they believe that AQIM had “deviated from the true path.” The group then declared allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in September 2014, stating that militants in JaK would obey the orders of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS. Almost immediately after this declaration, JaK threatened to behead a French citizen, Herve Gourdel, if the French government did not immediately halt airstrikes on IS in Syria. The French government refused to comply, and JaK posted a video online of Gourdel’s beheading on September 24, 2014.

The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG): The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) was a Sunni opposition group that was created in 1995 in Libya to overthrow Muammar Qaddafi. The LIFG was preceded by a secret group formed in Libya in the 1980s, of which a faction left to fight in Afghanistan in the late 1980s, and then returned in the early 1990s to establish the LIFG. The group announced its official existence in 1995 and was led by Abdelhakim Belhadj. The group was most active in the eastern Libyan region of Cyrenaica and was known for assassination attempts against Qaddafi, helping plan bombings in Morocco in 2003, and violent clashes with the Benghazi police. The LIFG was allegedly tied to Al Qaeda and had hostile relations with the Group Islamique Arme (GIA). In the late 1990s, the LIFG lost strength after repeated military campaigns against them by the Qaddafi regime and disbanded in 2010.

Al-Iytihaad Al-Islamiya / AIAI: Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya / AIAI was established between 1982 and 1984 and, along with other organizations, sought to overthrow the government in Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya / AIAI was set up between 1982 and 1984 and, together with different organizations, sought to overthrow the authorities in Somalia. AIAI’s leadership has covered Hassan Dahir Aweys. AIAI started out its alliance with Al-Qaida in 1993 and Usama bin Laden (deceased) committed full-size finances in the direction of the established order of an AIAI-administered authority in Somalia, which supported the final intention of putting in place an Al-Qaida base of operations there. AIAI later supported Al-Qaida’s bombing of American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on 7 August 1998. AIAI additionally supported Al-Qaida’s bomb assault at the Paradise Hotel in Kikambala and the simultaneous assault towards a civilian airliner in Mombasa, Kenya, in 2002.

AIAI shares ideological, economic and training links with Al-Qaida and has fostered contacts with Al-Qaida-related entities in North Africa and the Middle East, which include Algeria's Armed Islamic Group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Le Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat (GSPC), listed as the Organization of Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, the Islamic Army of Aden, the International Islamic Relief Organization and Revival of Islamic Heritage Society.

Al Shabaab:  Al Shabaab, meaning "The Youth" in Arabic, is the biggest militant organisation combating ousting the Somalian authorities. The organization seeks to govern territory inside Somalia to set up a society based on its inflexible interpretation of Shariah law. Although based in Somalia, Al Shabaab additionally conducts assaults in neighbouring countries, such as Kenya. Al Shabaab emerged as an independent organisation around December 2006 after breaking away from the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), for which it had served as the military wing. Since the late 2000s, Al Shabaab has had close ties to Al Qaeda and has sought to frame the Somalian conflict as a part of worldwide jihad. The organization has engaged in bombings, suicide assaults, and armed assaults, specifically in opposition to Somalian authorities targets, non-Christians, private citizens, overseas troops, diplomats, and useful resource or non-governmental organisation workers.

Mouvement pour l’Unification et le Jihad en Afrique de l’Ouest (MUJAO): The Mouvement pour l’Unification et le Jihad en Afrique de l’Ouest (MUJAO) was formed in 2011 by Ahmed el-Tilemsi and Hamad el-Khairy as a splinter organization of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). MUJAO declared its life in October 2011 after kidnapping 3 European aid workers from a refugee camp in Tindouf, Algeria. Despite its split from AQIM, MUJAO praised distinguished Al Qaeda leaders and, further to AQIM, aimed to engage in jihad and set up Shariah law in West Africa. Following the 2012 coup d'état that ousted the Malian government, MUJAO occupied territory in northern Mali, across the town of Gao. In August 2013, MUJAO merged with the Al Mulathamun Battalion (AMB) to form Al Mourabitoun. It stays doubtful whether or not all of MUJAO’s combatants joined Al Mourabitoun or a small faction keeps to function independently under the name MUJAO. MUJAO has specified a foreign terrorist corporation via way of means of the U.S. and the U.N. in 2012.

Ansar Dine: Ansar Dine, translated as “Defenders of the Faith,” is an Islamic organization founded in December 2011 by Iyad Ag Ghali. The organization is pursuits to set up Shariah law throughout Mali and targets western civilians and peacekeepers. Ansar Dine’s ideology closely mirrors that of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and is reportedly a home front organization for AQIM, though it has never been publicly identified by AQIM as a legit associate. Ansar Dine is best recognized for its takeover of northern Mali with the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), AQIM and the Mouvement pour l’Unification et le Jihad en Afrique de l’Ouest (MUJAO) after the Malian coup of 2012. Ansar Dine occupied and applied Shariah law in Timbuktu and its environs from June 2012 till January 2013, whilst the French army intervened. In early July 2012, Ansar Dine made countrywide headlines whilst it destroyed seven mausoleums in Timbuktu, which were a part of a United Nations World Heritage site. The Macina Liberation Front (FLM) was allegedly formed as an associate to Ansar Dine for the coordination of its operations in central and southern Mali. The organization’s leader is Amadou Kouffa.

Al Mulathamun Battalion: The Those Who Sign in Blood Brigade, additionally referred to as Al Mulathamun, was a Salafi-Jihadist militant organization that operated in the Sahel vicinity of North-West Africa. The organization was founded in December 2012 while Mokhtar Belmokhtar and his battalion broke away from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Despite its split from AQIM, the Al Mulathamun Battalion nevertheless swore its allegiance to Al Qaeda (AQ) chief Ayman al-Zawahiri and claimed to act in AQ’s name; however, the organization was never officially recognized by AQ. Al Mulathamun Battalion quickly have become recognised for its large-scale attacks, most significantly its January 2013 assault at the In Amenas natural gas facility in Algeria that killed more than 38 civilians. In August 2013, the Those Who Sign in Blood Brigade merged with MUJAO to form Al Murabitoun.

Al Mourabitoun: Al Mourabitoun, meaning “The Sentinels,” is a former Salafi-jihadist militant organisation formed in August 2013 by the merger of the Mouvement pour l’Unification et le Jihad en Afrique de l’Ouest (MUJAO) and the Al Mulathamun Battalion. The organization mainly operated in Mali and pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda (AQ) in July 2015. Al Mourabitoun aimed to set up Shariah law in North Africa, to unite Muslims and Islamic movements in opposition to secular influences, and to assault westerners and western establishments in North Africa. In May 2015, the Emir of Al Mourabitoun, Adnan Abu Walid al Sahrawi, swore the organization’s loyalty to the Islamic State (IS), however, Belmokhtar, a founding father of Al Mourabitoun, declared that the organization’s allegiance remained with AQ, not the IS. Al Mourabitoun maintained close relations with AQIM. By March 2016, the organisation had largely come under AQIM authority even though it remained operationally autonomous. In March 2017, Al Mourabitoun and AQIM merged with nearby jihadi agencies Ansar al-Dine and Macina Liberation Front to shape Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen(JNIM).

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, is an Islamist militant organization that targets to overthrow the Algerian authorities and institute an Islamic state. AQIM, in the beginning, referred to as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), splintered from the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), a key player in the Algerian Civil War, in 1998. In 2006, the GSPC have become a proper associate of Al Qaeda (AQ) and modified its name to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The organization is well-known for kidnapping Westerners for ransom in North Africa and is active in the drug, arms and human trafficking trade. AQIM is one of the wealthiest terrorist groups in the world. In March 2017, Al Mourabitoun, Ansar Dine, and the Macina Liberation Front (MLF) merged with AQIM’s Sahara department to shape Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), a hierarchical militant alliance led through AQIM.

The JNIM announced its merger in a video in which JNIM’s new emir, Iyad Ag Ghali, appeared alongside leaders from the other constituent militant groups, and pledged allegiance to the emirs of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Al Qaeda (AQ), and the Taliban. The merger was allegedly in line with AQ’s doctrine of unity, as consolidation would allow the AQ affiliates to bring together resources and objectives to extend its area of operation. JNIM reportedly formalizes the previous collaboration among the constituent groups by establishing a hierarchical relationship in which AQIM oversees the allied militant groups. JNIM has targeted French forces, the UN Stabilization Mission, and local armies in the Sahel region.

 Pic Courtesy-Aladdin Hammami at unsplash.com

(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)