Rebel rivals: reinterrogating the movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa and the roots of Al-Qaeda-Islamic State Infighting in the Sahel

Abstract

ABSTRACT Terrorist group rivalries have become widely studied since Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda-loyal groups began clashing in Syria. While existing literature finds such rivalries increase terrorist groups’ lethality and longevity, there are few case studies of IS provinces and al-Qaeda affiliates operating in the same geographic area outside the Middle East. One such province-affiliate rivalry that has only recently begun to be explored is between Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS) and Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) in the Sahel. This article utilises various primary sources, including group members’ interviews and written statements, to trace the ISGS-JNIM rivalry’s roots to their common Sahel-based predecessor, Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (English: MUJWA; French: MUJAO) and finds literature has under-estimated MUJWA’s split from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) on ISGS’s emergence and inheriting a trafficking and non-scholarly legacy that merged with IS’s uncompromising strategic culture. Building on terrorism studies literature concerning rebel rivalries globally and Sahel-based area studies literature concerning intra-communal tensions, ethno-nationalism, and jihadism, the article argues that despite ISGS’s aspirations to supersede JNIM, the latter’s approach, which reflects AQIM theologians’ restraint and al-Qaeda’s coalition-building, will enable JNIM to become a fixture in the Sahel for the longue durée. Furthermore, the article demonstrates how local conditions and international alliances affected ISGS and JNIM’s conduct of their insurgencies and dialogue with both each other and state actors.