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.