Could Talking to Mali's Jihadists Bring Peace?
Hold Your Fire!1 Loka 2021

Could Talking to Mali's Jihadists Bring Peace?

The war in the Sahel appears to have reached a stalemate. In Mali, fighting pits the Malian security forces, backed by regional militaries and French special forces and airpower, against an al-Qaeda-linked jihadist coalition, JNIM (the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims). Since Mali’s crisis in 2012-2013, efforts to defeat jihadist militants have only seen their influence expand. Violence has spread across the Sahel at terrible human cost. Two successive coups in Bamako, Mali’s capital, have fuelled political instability. French officials appear exasperated by the lack of progress. Yet militants themselves are also under pressure, with several leaders killed over recent years.


In this episode of Hold Your Fire! Richard Atwood and Naz Modirzadeh are joined by Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, Crisis Group’s Sahel expert, to ask whether it is time for a new approach. They take stock of the insurgency’s current state, its aims and JNIM’s relationship with al-Qaeda. They discuss the future of the French presence and the consequences of the recent coups. They also speak at length about prospects for talks between the government and JNIM leaders, what such talks might entail and the challenges such a path would pose.


For more information, explore Crisis Group’s analysis on our Sahel and Mali regional pages as well as our work on Jihad in Modern Conflict. Be sure to keep an eye out for Ibrahim’s upcoming report.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(223)

What to Expect from Ukraine’s Counter-Offensive

What to Expect from Ukraine’s Counter-Offensive

As fighting rages in Ukraine, with high casualties but little ground gained or lost on either side, Kyiv seems poised to launch its much anticipated counteroffensive. New Western equipment, including ...

5 Touko 202341min

What Can Stop Sudan’s Devastating War

What Can Stop Sudan’s Devastating War

Sudan has entered its second week of fighting between rival military factions. Battles between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have torn apart cities and towns, espec...

28 Huhti 202342min

War in Sudan

War in Sudan

Two rival armies are driving Sudan toward full-blown civil war. Fighting between the Sudanese armed forces, led by Abdelfattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force led b...

22 Huhti 202352min

Drones and Diplomacy: Will Türkiye’s Elections Change its Middle-Power Activism?

Drones and Diplomacy: Will Türkiye’s Elections Change its Middle-Power Activism?

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in power for two decades, faces a stiff challenge in Türkiye’s forthcoming election, which will take place only a few months after devastating earthquakes killed some 5...

4 Huhti 202347min

Somalia’s Latest Battles Against Al-Shabaab

Somalia’s Latest Battles Against Al-Shabaab

Over recent months, the Somali army, backed by clan militias, has recaptured areas in central Somalia from Al-Shabaab militants. Profiting from local anger at Al-Shabaab’s predation, President Hassan ...

24 Maalis 202342min

Iran: A Deal with Saudi Arabia, Closer Ties to Russia and the Looming Nuclear Crisis

Iran: A Deal with Saudi Arabia, Closer Ties to Russia and the Looming Nuclear Crisis

Last week, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by China. The two countries had broken off ties in 2016, after Saudi authorities executed a prominent Shiite ...

17 Maalis 202345min

Will the Ukraine War Blow U.S.-China Relations Further Off Course?

Will the Ukraine War Blow U.S.-China Relations Further Off Course?

The past few weeks have seen U.S.-China tensions ratchet up. In early February, a U.S. fighter jet shot down what Washington concluded was a Chinese spy balloon off the east coast of the U.S., prompti...

11 Maalis 202354min

Another Year of War in Ukraine?

Another Year of War in Ukraine?

One year into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prospects for a settlement remain bleak. On 21 February, President Vladimir Putin announced in a belligerent yearly address that he would suspend...

24 Helmi 202342min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
politiikan-puskaradio
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
tervo-halme
rss-asiastudio
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
otetaan-yhdet
rss-podme-livebox
the-ulkopolitist
rss-raha-talous-ja-politiikka
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
rss-hyvaa-huomenta-bryssel
rss-ulkopoditiikkaa
rss-pinnalla
rss-50100-podcast
rss-kuka-mina-olen
rss-girls-finish-f1rst