Ansar al-Sharia (Mali)
| Ansar al-Sharia (Mali) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dates active | 9 December 2012 – present |
| Country |  Mali |
| Allegiance |  Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (2012–2013)Ansar al Sharia |
| Ideology | Islamism Salafi jihadism |
| Wars | Islamist insurgency in the Sahel |
Ansar al-Sharia (Mali) (Partisans of Islamic Law) is a radical Islamist group that operates in the Azawad region of Mali.
Background
[edit]Following the Azawad insurgency in 2012, the northern region of Mali achieved de facto independence from the Mali central government, with the region taken over by a number of Islamist groups including Ansar Dine, Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.[1]
On 9 December 2012, a group of Malian Islamists in the city of Gao announced the creation of a new group called Ansar al-Sharia, a name used by recently founded organizations in a number of Muslim countries including Yemen, Libya and Tunisia.[2]
Most of the group's leaders are from the Arab clans of Berabiches from Timbuktu; some of the families of this tribe reportedly have relations by marriage with elements of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.[3] The ethnic makeup of this group is in contrast to that of the Tuareg-dominated Ansar Dine.
Like the other Ansar al-Sharia groups, the branch in Mali is described as based on certain principles, such as opposition to western-democracy, Salafist Jihadism ideology and the goal of establishing an Islamic emirate.[2] Its formation was not accompanied by the provision of aid and religious preaching that has been typical of other branches of Ansar al-Sharia.[4]
Following the 2013 French intervention in northern Mali, the Jihadist groups formerly running the region switched to fighting an insurgency; however, Ansar al-Sharia has not been credited with participating in any of them.[4]
References
[edit]- ↑ Roggio, Bill (9 January 2013). "West African jihadist group forms 4 'battalions,' names 3 after al Qaeda leaders". Long War Journal. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
- 1 2 Idoumou, Raby Ould (12 December 2012). "Ansar al-Sharia sets up shop in Mali". Magharebia. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
- ↑ Joscelyn, Thomas (18 December 2012). "Ansar al Sharia in Mali". Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
- 1 2 "Ansar al-Sharia International & the Politics of Self Sacrifice". Southwest Initiative for the Study of Middle Eastern Conflicts. 20 July 2013. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
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