Islamic State extremists have almost doubled the territory they control in Mali in less than a year, and their al-Qaida-linked rivals are also capitalizing on the deadlock and perceived weakness of armed groups that signed a 2015 peace agreement.

Islamic State extremists have almost doubled the territory they control in Mali in less than a year, and their al-Qaida-linked rivals are capitalizing on the deadlock and perceived weakness of armed groups that signed a 2015 peace agreement, United Nations experts said in a new report.

The stalled implementation of the peace deal and sustained attacks on communities have offered the IS group and al-Qaida affiliates a chance “to re-enact the 2012 scenario,” they said.

    • MetalJewSolid@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      61·
      1 year ago

      Feels like trump came along and American/western media focused on him instead. I also thought ISIS was irrelevant

      • Alto@kbin.social
        12·
        1 year ago

        ISIS is irrelevant. This is a splinter group in Mali. Closely related, but ISIS itself (as in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has been entirely forced back into the underground

      • livus@kbin.social
        12·
        1 year ago

        Conflict in the Sahel has been heating up over the past decade but it’s a lot of small groups.

        The reason Americans are likely seeing this in their news cycles all of a sudden is the recent coup in Niger.

        • The US has a military base in Niger.

        • Mali and Burkina Faso are now aligned with Niger - and Mali has Wagner forces.

        • Niger is mineral rich and also a big supplier of uranium, particularly for France.

        • Xia@jlai.luEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          4% of the French uranium is from Niger, not really a big supplier

          • livus@kbin.social
            51·
            1 year ago

            I’m willing to be corrected but I need more info. Is that what media are reporting where you are? It’s not really the impression I am getting. E.g

            Over the past 10 years, France has gotten 20% of its uranium from Niger, with another 27% from Kazakhstan and 19% from Uzbekistan. While the French state-owned uranium giant Orano owns three mines in Niger, it currently operates only one. Source

            I mentioned France specifically because they had military cooperation agreements with Niger before the coup (as with Mali before that) and an estimated 1,500 troops there.