civil, religious pillar

UAE: Why Abu Dhabi is implicated (discretely) in the Sahel

By Marwane Ben Yahmed

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Posted on January 18, 2023 14:35

A Malian soldier of the G5 Sahel Joint Force, stationed in Boulikessi, Burkina Faso. © Frederic Petry/Hans Lucas via AFP

The continued presence of the United Arab Emirates in the Sahel has not yet evolved into military action, but there is still concern over the expansion of jihadist groups.

It is November 2022. The location is Liptako-Gourma, on the tri-border of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Hundreds of Islamic State jihadists in the Greater Sahel (EIGS) are pledging allegiance to the new caliph of the Islamic State: Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurachi.

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