Title: U.S. Military Operational Activity in the Sahel - Lawfare
Headings: U.S. Military Operational Activity in the Sahel
U.S. Military Operational Activity in the Sahel
Groups Operating in the Sahel/Lake Chad Basin Regions
Boko Haram
Islamic State West Africa (ISWA)
ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS)
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM)
Current State of U.S. Operational Activity in These Regions
Niger
Cameroon
Nigeria
Chad
Mali
Where Are We Now?
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Content: For the purpose of concision, this post will focus on the countries with the most significant levels of both non-state militant activity and U.S. troop presence: Niger, Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Mali. There are many armed entities currently operating in central Africa, with constantly-shifting alliances and complex motivations. The following is an organizational map of sorts, reflecting a broad overview of the histories, ties and goals of the organized groups with a significant presence in the region. Boko Haram
Boko Haram, which literally means “Western education is forbidden,” began as a nonviolent Islamist political movement in Nigeria in 2002. Its overarching goal was to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria. While it operated mostly peacefully for several years, the group grew steadily more violent as militant Islamists used its camps as breeding grounds for jihadi soldiers. Boko Haram’s evolution into a terrorist group culminated in 2009, when it carried out a series of attacks on Nigerian police and government buildings. Though a joint response by Nigerian police and military forces eventually halted the attacks, the clashes resulted in the deaths of upwards of 700 people in Maiduguri, the capital of the northeastern state of Borno. And despite Nigerian authorities’ subsequent execution of Boko Haram’s leader, Boko Haram continued to attack civilian and government targets over the next several years.