Mali and Morocco Continue to Crack Down on Islamist Insurgencies

Northern and Western African states are continuing to crack down on jihadist activities. Morocco arrested 52 men over an alleged plot to set up an Islamic State province in the country. According to authorities, the men were all Moroccan nationals and were planning attacks on targets, both inside and outside of the Kingdom; they specifically hoped to strike music festivals, seeing as they amass large crowds of people in a small space. After raiding the members’ homes, police found jihadist texts as well as operational manuals on how to construct explosives and chemical weapons; authorities also found multiple Islamic State flags. The jihadists were linked to IS cells originating in refugee camps in southern Algeria and the Sahel.

The Kingdom of Morocco is relatively stable compared to its neighbors and has taken a hard stance on combating Islamic terrorism. Morocco claims to have foiled over 150 terror cells since 2002, including 38 in the past four years with ties to jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria. This has not stopped Moroccan citizens from attempting to join however, with roughly 1,200 Moroccans traveling to Syria to join the Islamic State in the past 18 months.

In contrast to nearby Egypt and Libya, which have seen Islamist insurgencies battle for power, Morocco has successfully cracked down on the movements inside the kingdom. But with so many Moroccans going to Syria to join the Islamic State, there is a danger that returning fighters may overwhelm the Kingdom’s efforts.

To the south, Mali authorities arrested Mahmoud Berry, known by his alias Abou Yehiya, a senior jihadist in the group Ansar Dine; the group was responsible for an attack on a military base in Nampala, in the center of the country last week. The attack killed 17 soldiers and wounded 35. The jihadists briefly seized control of the base before Malian troops retook control of it, after fleeing to a nearby town to regroup.

Attacks in Mali have decreased since French forces intervened on behalf of the government of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in a civil war against insurgencies in Northern Mali backed by Al Qaeda. Ansar Dine in the northwest and Al Qaeda in the Mahreb in the northeast sought to seize control and create an Islamic state with Sharia Law.

Since then, various insurgencies affiliated with the group have attempted to destabilize the government and reestablish their area of operations with varying levels of success.

The arrests of jihadists in the two West African countries highlights the ways in which North African states are attempting to deal with the international rise of Islamist insurgencies. In particular, both the Morocco and Mali efforts demonstrates the importance of maintaining efforts to suppress suspected jihadist networks and prevent the establishment of sanctuaries.