Insurgency in the Maghreb

An armed conflict across North and West Africa involving Islamist militant groups, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and regional governments. It has spread through shifting alliances, cross-border sanctuaries, and local rebellions.

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Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: An al-Qaeda affiliate active in North and West Africa, formed from Algeria’s Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. It became a principal transnational militant organization in the conflict.
Algerian Civil War: A conflict from 1991 to 2002 between the Algerian government and armed Islamist groups. Its militant networks and veterans shaped the later regional insurgency.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar: An Algerian jihadist commander who led armed groups in the Sahara and helped found al-Mourabitoun. His independent networks and cross-border operations influenced militant alliances.
Operation Serval: A French military intervention launched in Mali in January 2013 to halt an advance by jihadist forces. It reversed militant territorial gains but began a long foreign military presence.
Azawad: A name used by Tuareg nationalists for a proposed independent state in northern Mali. Separatist aspirations differ from jihadist projects, despite past tactical alliances.
Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin: An al-Qaeda-aligned coalition of jihadist groups formed in Mali in 2017. Its operations and alliances made it a major Sahelian insurgent actor.
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat: An Algerian Islamist armed group that split from the Armed Islamic Group in 1998 and later joined al-Qaeda. Its transformation into AQIM connected Algeria’s civil war to regional militancy.
Iyad Ag Ghaly: A Malian Tuareg politician and jihadist leader who founded Ansar Dine and later led JNIM. His changing role linked Tuareg rebellion with al-Qaeda-aligned militancy.
Operation Barkhane: A French-led counterterrorism operation in the Sahel that ran from 2014 to 2022. Its deployment and eventual withdrawal marked changing external involvement.
National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad: A Tuareg-led separatist movement that declared Azawad’s independence from Mali in 2012. Its nationalist aims distinguish it from Islamist insurgent organizations.