The Islamic State group calls on those who fought it to lay down their arms. In an audio message released several days ago, an Islamic State in the Sahel cadre offers “repentance” and submission. A propaganda message broadcast as the jihadist group asserts its domination over a large part of northeastern Mali.
Youssouf Ould Chouaib is a member of the Sahelian branch of the Islamic State group in Liptako-Gourma, an area of the three Mali-Niger-Burkina borders. Malian Arab by his father and Tamashek (Tuareg) by his mother, he is among the initiators of the vast offensive carried out since March 2022 by the Islamic State in the northeast of Mali.
Several reliable sources within the local security community have officially confirmed the authenticity of a three-minute propaganda audio recording, which has also been verified by Mainstream, a reputable organization specializing in security and jihadism issues in the Sahel and North Africa. According to Mainstream, the audio was not released through the official channels of the Islamic State group, which is typical for this type of locally-initiated action, and it began to circulate during the holy month of Ramadan. This comes after the Islamic State’s successful incursion into Tidermene on April 10th, which cemented its dominance over the Ménaka region. These developments have undoubtedly sent shockwaves through the security community and raised concerns about the increasing influence of the Islamic State in the region.