Despite numerous attempts to regain its regional role and mediate in political crises affecting some African Sahel countries, such as the financial crisis that facilitated the peace agreement in 2015, Algeria’s efforts seem to be clashing with a stark reality on the ground, foreshadowing a grave security crisis extending beyond Mali to its neighboring countries. Recent reports have indicated the resurgence of “extremist Islamic organizations” in the region, originating from Malian territories.
A recent report by the “Emirates Policy Center” sheds light on the escalation of terrorist operations in both Mali and Burkina Faso, with the security threat now extending to countries in the Gulf of Guinea and Central Africa. The report confirms “numerous indications of an agreement between the military government in Mali and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara,” possibly leading to the establishment of a “Caliphate of ISIS” in eastern Mali, near the borders of Burkina Faso and Niger.
The report also analyzes the significance of the Malian authorities releasing some high-ranking ISIS leaders previously detained by French forces, including individuals like “Youssef Ould Cheib,” “Amiya Ag Al Bakaï,” and “Dadi Ould Chouaib.” This release has been linked to a “major deal between the military government and the leadership of the organization to form an alliance against the Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin group,” which has intensified its activities in the region in recent years.
Additionally, the organization has capitalized on the central governments’ inability to provide basic services in remote areas facing security disturbances, effectively filling the void and “strengthening its presence in regions where state control has waned.” This development positions the region to potentially become a “new stronghold for the Islamic State.”