Could Talking to Mali's Jihadists Bring Peace?
Hold Your Fire!1 Okt 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.

Avsnitt(224)

Can the U.S. Address Migration’s “Root Causes” in Central America?

Can the U.S. Address Migration’s “Root Causes” in Central America?

Over recent years, an estimated million and a half Central Americans have made the journey up to the U.S. seeking a better life. Many are fleeing political instability, corruption, poverty or gang vio...

17 Dec 202147min

Russia in Africa

Russia in Africa

After a post-Cold War hiatus, Russia is returning to Africa. Through both traditional diplomacy and the deployment of security contractors, Moscow’s influence on the continent is growing. Particularly...

10 Dec 202142min

Will Russia Invade Ukraine?

Will Russia Invade Ukraine?

Over recent weeks, some 100,000 Russian troops have massed on the Ukrainian border -- for the second time this year. Ukrainian officials warn of a potential Russian invasion; Western leaders warn of s...

3 Dec 202137min

Western Policy and Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Devastation

Western Policy and Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Devastation

Afghanistan is on the brink of becoming the world’s worst humanitarian emergency. Western governments responded to the Taliban takeover in August by suspending aid, freezing state assets and imposing ...

26 Nov 202150min

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte: Populist or Peacemaker?

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte: Populist or Peacemaker?

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s term ends next June. Abroad, Duterte is arguably best known for a brutal anti-drug campaign which has killed thousands of people, prompting the International Cr...

19 Nov 202138min

Bosnia Unravelling?

Bosnia Unravelling?

Bosnia faces what the current international High Representative to the country, Christian Schmidt, calls “its greatest existential threat of the post-war period”. It is grappling with dual crises that...

12 Nov 202133min

Will Tigrayan Rebels Attack Ethiopia’s capital?

Will Tigrayan Rebels Attack Ethiopia’s capital?

This week, as Ethiopia’s civil war enters its second year, Tigrayan rebels captured the strategically placed cities of Dessie and Kombolcha, only hours away from the country’s capital Addis Ababa. Pri...

5 Nov 202137min

The Military’s Dangerous Power Grab in Sudan

The Military’s Dangerous Power Grab in Sudan

On 25 October, Sudan’s military leaders ousted the country’s civilian government, detaining Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and several of his ministers. The coup took place two and a half years after a...

29 Okt 202138min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
svenska-fall
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
blenda-2
flashback-forever
rss-sanning-konsekvens
politiken
rss-vad-fan-hande
aftonbladet-daily
motiv
rss-krimreportrarna
spar
grans
svd-ledarredaktionen
rss-frandfors-horna
rss-flodet
dagens-eko
olyckan-inifran
rss-klubbland-en-podd-mest-om-frolunda