Description
This paper relates specifically to Our Common Agenda priority three - ‘Promote peace and prevent conflicts’. Despite significant increases in the military capabilities of Sahelian jihadists over the last decade, similarities and differences between the fighting styles of groups - especially those with common transnational jihadist affiliations - remain underexplored. This paper uses geospatial analysis to compare the attack patterns of the two Islamic State-affiliated jihadist groups in the wider Sahel: the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the Islamic State in the Sahara (ISS/ISGS). While these groups share a common ‘Islamic State’ affiliation they operate in distinct local contexts, thousands of kilometres apart. As such, convergences and divergences in their military approaches can help us understand the relative and respective impact of local dyamics and transnational linkages on jihadist behaviour.
