The prevailing political and security tumult currently besetting the Sahel region affords an opportunity for the Islamic State to extend its operational reach and territorial dominion. Over recent weeks, numerous soldiers in Niger have lost their lives due to ambushes and assaults orchestrated by the Islamic State in the Sahel region. The group has also carried out fatal assaults on civilian populations, leading to hundreds of casualties across Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali in recent years and forcibly displacing a total of 89,200 individuals within the timeframe spanning from March 2022 to May 2023. Over recent months, the Islamic State in the Sahel (ISS) province has notably fortified its grasp upon an expansive corridor that stretches from the eastern reaches of the Tahoua region in Niger to the western expanse of the Liptako-Gourma region at the tri-border area between Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali.
The ISS appears to be an essential governing force on a territory encompassing a plethora of small towns and rural hinterlands within the Tillaberi region of Niger, as well as the Menaka and Gao regions of Mali. Disturbingly, local accounts attest to the necessity for civilians to, in one manner or another, acquiesce to the demands of the Islamic State to secure their survival. For the past decade, Africa has stood as a region of paramount strategic import for the Islamic State, both during and in the aftermath of the tenure of its initial leader, Abu Bakr Al- Baghdadi. The Islamic State (IS) has consistently funneled financial and technical support towards a multitude of affiliated groups dispersed throughout the African continent, encompassing territories in East, Central, and West Africa. Terrorist and violent extremist groups' threats across the continent are escalating. Affiliates linked to the Islamic State have gradually transformed into independent provinces (wilayas) that emulate their parent organization's methods and governance models, with particular emphasis on their recruitment and exploitation of child soldiers.
While the origins of the Islamic State in the Sahel-Province (ISS-P) are reasonably well-documented, there exists a notable gap in the understanding of its governing structure, leadership evolution, and prospective expansion strategies. This study endeavors to delve into the operational methods of ISS-P and dissect its ideological framework for action involving children. Additionally, this investigation highlights the interconnection between ISS-P and the Islamic State in the West Africa Province (ISWAP), a jihadist entity entrenched in northeast Nigeria and southeast Niger, renowned for its significant military capabilities and administrative prowess.
This study was conducted between March to October 2023 and involved a comprehensive approach. It draws on extensive desk-based research as well as semi-structured interviews with twelve subject matter experts, humanitarians, and law enforcement officers, including nationals from Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Nigeria. The interviews were undertaken virtually and in person with the author on the condition of anonymity. Additionally, during the same period, indirect interviews were conducted with seventeen former child members of ISS, recruiters, foot soldiers, commanders, judges, al-Qaeda fighters, and local political representatives. The interviews were facilitated through local intermediaries, conducted willingly in local languages, and translated into English while striving to maintain the authenticity of the interviewees' expressions. To ensure the safety and anonymity of those involved, the identities of interviewees remain confidential due to concerns about potential reprisals from the Islamic State, local security forces, and to safeguard the security of local contacts who aided in arranging these interviews.
This research also incorporates an extensive analysis of propaganda materials, including videos, audio, and written messages disseminated by ISS and ISWAP featuring children. These materials serve recruitment, indoctrination, and operational purposes for these jihadist organizations and offer insight into the perceptions of children’s roles that ISS wishes to broadcast and diffuse as well as to inform the design and development of strategies and interventions.