Examining convergence and divergence in the fighting patterns of Islamic State-aligned jihadist groups in the wider Sahel
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21350277 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Isaac Olawale Albert (University of Ibadan), Chitra Nagarajan (Film Independent), Babacar Ndiaye (0000-0002-7616-2538, WATHI), Bamba Ndiaye (World Water Watch), Melita Lazell (0000-0002-4036-0188, University of Portsmouth), Luca Raineri (0000-0001-6107-0019, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna), Ed Stoddard (University of Portsmouth, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 64 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Modern African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-278X • E-ISSN: 1469-7777 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0022278x25101213 |
| OpenAlex | W7165365886 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 22 |
Despite increases in the military capabilities of Sahelian jihadists over the last decade, similarities and differences between the fighting styles of groups with common transnational jihadist affiliations remain underexplored. This article compares the activities of the two Islamic State (IS)-affiliated groups in the wider Sahel: the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP). Despite a common affiliation, these groups operate in different local contexts, over a thousand kilometres apart. Similarities and differences in their military approaches can thus help us understand the respective impact of local and transnational dynamics on jihadist behaviour. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork and quantitative/geospatial analysis, this article explores this issue through analysis of strategic goals, command and control, military hybridisation, tactics/attack profiles and spatial variations. While their activities are by no means uniform, we find a growing convergence between these groups over time driven by a mix of IS influence and local dynamics
Convergence (economics) · Divergence (linguistics) · Islam · Jihadism · Middle East · State (computer science) · African Studies and Geopolitics · Peacebuilding and International Security · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
How Isis Fights
Case Studies and Theory Development
Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel
Unmasking Boko Haram
Entangled Incidents
Revolutionary Warfare? Assessing the Character of Competing Factions within the Boko Haram Insurgency
Unpacking “glocal” jihad
Maoist Hybridity? A Comparative Analysis of the Links between Insurgent Strategic Practice and Tactical Hybridity in Contemporary Non-State Armed Groups
Transnational Jihad as a Bundled Conflict-Constellation
Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb
Non-state campaigning
The End of the Sahelian Exception
Governance, Fragility and Insurgency in the Sahel
The Local and global Jihad of al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghrib
The Enduring Indispensability of the Controlled Comparison
The myth of global Islamic terrorism and local conflict in Mali and the Sahel
Forever wars'? Patterns of diffusion and consolidation of Jihadism in Africa
Boko Haram's increasingly sophisticated military threat
Cyclical jihadist governance
Explaining the Rise of Jihadism in Africa
| Highly cited | No |
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