Al-Qaeda’s Sahel branch, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM or GNIM in French) is now emerging as the region’s dominant jihadist force. Even the brutal Islamic State has been largely unable to contain JNIM’s expansion, which has been expanding its control across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Recent attacks, including the deadly ambush of 28 Beninese soldiers, are clear evidence of the JNIM’s growing reach, just as a shifting alliance with Tuareg rebels is adding new complexities to the security crisis in the Sahel. While JNIM is going through a period of growth and strength, the Islamic State is retreating, stuck in a strategy that is not working and desperately seeking new routes for survival. With jihadist groups now eyeing West Africa’s coastal states, the Sahel’s security crisis is escalating—and spreading.
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