Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel : local politics and rebel groups

"What drives the rise and fall of jihadist movements in North Africa and the Sahel? This book offers a novel explanation of jihadist mobilization in this critical region and around the world, treating jihadist organizations as internally diverse political coalitions. These coalitions, the author argues, routinely negotiate and compromise with political forces around them, even as blocs within the coalitions negotiate, argue, and even fight with one another. Rather than treating jihadists as single-minded fanatics, the volume discusses them as nuanced political actors - who are, moreover, sometimes forced to accommodate the interests of sophisticated political actors in the societies they enter. The volume offers insight into key recent events in Mali, Libya, and elsewhere in the region, examining the northern Malian uprising of 2012 and its aftermath, the emergence and collapse of Islamic State territories in Libya, and the deterioration of security and governance in central Mali and northern Burkina Faso. Based on fieldwork in the region, jihadist primary source documents, and a detailed examination of historical and political context, the volume sheds new light on a widely misunderstood part of Africa"-- Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-342) and index. x, 349 pages : maps 23 cm