A group of Al Qaeda-linked militants are reportedly on the cusp of seizing control of the West African nation of Mali in what many fear could lead to a complete takeover of a national government by a designated terrorist organization. The Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, an al-Qaeda affiliate, has in recent days intensified a campaign in Mali’s capital city Bamako by blocking major fuel supply routes and attacking army convoys.
The events signal the volatility of the Sahel region, which stands at a dangerous crossroads: weak or ineffective states, youth unemployment and political instability have created fertile ground for jihadist groups — turning West Africa into the epicenter of a resurgent, globally connected jihadist threat, Northeastern University experts say. “As the United States is wont to do, we took our eye off the ball — and it’s coming back to haunt us,” says William Miles, a political science professor at Northeastern, who has traveled extensively across West Africa.
Exactly what that threat might look like beyond the continent remains unclear. But experts have pointed to a recent uptick in terrorism worldwide as a warning that instability in the Sahel could have global consequences.
