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3 - Northern Mali

Dialectics of Local Support

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2020

Alexander Thurston
Affiliation:
University of Cincinnati
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Summary

This chapter describes shifting coalitions in northern Mali, especially in the critical phase of 2012–2013, when al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) deepened a remarkable set of alliances with local politicians. These “circumstantial jihadists” had a temporary but real effect on the character of the jihadist movement in northern Mali in 2012, positioning the jihadist coalition as a kind of “jihadism lite” that was open to negotiations with regional governments. Even after they left the jihadist camp in 2013 amid France’s military intervention, these elites may have continued to play a role in the trajectory of jihadism in the region, as rumors circulate that they remain in contact with jihadists operating in the shadows. The chapter argues that jihadists built a wide coalition in northern Mali in 2012 by offering political resources to local politicians, but that this coalition was doomed to fracture precisely because it was so diverse.

Type
Chapter
Information
Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel
Local Politics and Rebel Groups
, pp. 102 - 146
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Northern Mali
  • Alexander Thurston, University of Cincinnati
  • Book: Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel
  • Online publication: 15 October 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108771160.004
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Northern Mali
  • Alexander Thurston, University of Cincinnati
  • Book: Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel
  • Online publication: 15 October 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108771160.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Northern Mali
  • Alexander Thurston, University of Cincinnati
  • Book: Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel
  • Online publication: 15 October 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108771160.004
Available formats
×