JNIM, a group supporting Islam and Muslims, the organization that sows terror in Mali

JNIM, the group supporting Islam and Muslims, claimed responsibility for an attack in the Malian capital against the airport and a military camp, claiming to have inflicted heavy human and material losses, on Tuesday, September 17, in Bamako. A daring operation, unprecedented for years in the Malian capital.

By claiming responsibility for this attack hundreds of kilometres from its stronghold in northern Mali, the JNIM has inflicted a real snub on the ruling military junta, which had made the fight against this jihadist group a priority. But this is not surprising given the striking force of this nebula: the most powerful in the Sahel.

In 2017, JNIM pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda before being joined by many radical Islamist groups in the region. According to the French army, it had between 2,000 and 3,000 armed men in 2022. In recent years, it has continued to recruit young fighters from the poorest areas of Mali to become a much larger force than its rival in the region, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. Its strength: bringing together jihadists from several ethnic groups – Tuareg, Peul or Arab – which has facilitated its infiltration into the capital Bamako.