The “National Support of Islam and Muslims” group, which is affiliated with the terrorist Al-Qaeda organization, is at the forefront of the groups that conclude royalties agreements with the population; The fact that the members of this group know the region better because they are from it, followed by the terrorist organization ISIS, which includes foreign fighters.
From extortion to royalties:
The path to subjugation of the population begins with the terrorists practicing banditry, looting, raids, and besieging an area, and offering to stop these attacks if the population pledges to pay royalties, and part of the production of grain and livestock.
The residents also pledge not to cooperate with the Malian army or with the Russian “Wagner” group that supplies fighters to support the army, in addition to accepting the application of the extremist ideology of these groups.
Examples of agreements:
• The “Supporting Islam and Muslims” group lifted a siege imposed on the road between Douanza and Boni in the central Mali region of Mopti since May 25, and it was replaced by a curfew after an agreement with the people, in return for royalties and non-cooperation with the army and “Wagner”.
Al-Nusra had imposed the siege after accusing the people of Boni of welcoming the Wagner fighters.
• In recent months, the agreements have multiplied, and according to estimates, “Al-Nusra” and “ISIS” made 20 agreements.
• According to the clarification of the founding member of the “National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad”, Bekai Ag Hamad, to the “Sky News Arabia” website, the first agreement appeared in March 2021, and it was with community leaders as mediators, and after that, agreements with the local population became direct, such as the agreement between ” Al-Nusra” and residents of Farabogo in the Segou region, central Mali, after being under siege for several months.
• The situation was repeated in the regions of Tidgmen near Menaka, north of Kidal and “Hombori” in the north, and “Donza” in Mopti and Djenne, 398 km from the capital, Bamako, according to “Bakai”.
As for ISIS, it carried out extortion agreements in the town of Adranbokar and other villages belonging to Menaka in the north, adjacent to the Nigerian financial border, according to the same spokesman.
According to the Washington-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Nusrat al-Islam and Muslims carried out more than 50 attacks in 2022, while ISIS attacks killed more than a thousand people.
Objectives of the agreements:
At first glance, it seems that the agreements aim to raise funds, but besides that, there is a greater goal of subjugating the largest area to terrorist groups, and transforming it into an “Islamic Emirate”, in which the population is subject to these groups and not the government.
Bakay enumerates the terrorists’ goals as follows:
• Obtaining financing.
• Giving the people the opportunity to cultivate their lands and trade in a safe manner in return for royalties (which will benefit the terrorists by obtaining part of the production).
• Creating an incubating environment for these groups when they present themselves to the people as a “security keeper” in the absence of government forces.
• Al-Nusra and ISIS imposed influence on certain areas, especially near the borders with Niger and Burkina Faso, because controlling them facilitates smuggling, transfer of weapons and fighters and illegal trade.
• In the longer term, these groups intend to turn the region into an undeclared emirate after completing their control over the local population, the economy, and transportation, as an alternative to the legitimate state.
In recent weeks, the Malian state and regional countries have been active in taking steps to repel terrorist groups, including holding meetings between the Malian authorities and the movements of the Azawad region (in the north), to reactivate the Algiers Agreement for peace and reconciliation between them.
The tension between the authorities and the Azawad movements led to the weak presence of the government army in the north, and the lack of necessary coordination between the two sides. This provided a fertile environment for the spread of terrorists.
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