GPF Team

Oct. 13, 2017

Oct. 13, 2017 Islamist groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State see this region as a fertile recruiting ground.

Oct. 13, 2017 Xander Snyder and Allison Fedirka discuss U.S. strategic use of force in Africa. Sign up here for free updates on topics like this.

Oct. 13, 2017

Oct. 13, 2017 As Islamist militant groups attempt to expand their operations into new areas, some have looked to the Sahel region in western and central Africa and seen opportunity. The militant groups exist in pockets throughout the western Sahel and Lake Chad basin. Some, like Boko Haram, which has holdings in northern Nigeria and parts of Niger, Chad and Cameroon, are expansive and relatively well-defined. Others, like the numerous groups in Mali, are smaller and more scattered. The Sahara separates these local groups in and near the Sahel from territory dominated by al-Qaida and IS in North Africa – particularly Libya and Algeria.

This part of the Sahel can provide revenue sources for groups able to access and control key territory. Trade in illicit activities passes through the region, as traffickers try to get their goods into Europe. The region also holds valuable deposits of uranium, gold and other metals that can be sold on the black market. Jihadist groups like al-Qaida and IS also see this part of the Sahel as a fertile recruitment ground.