BBC Monitoring reposted this
It’s that time of year again. BBC Monitoring’s jihadist media team just published its data-driven quarterly report on jihadism in Africa for Q3 2025. Each quarter we look at the key developments in the five main African conflict zones where jihadist groups operate. Some key take aways: - The third quarter of 2025 saw continued high-casualty attacks claimed by the Islamic State group (IS)'s Somalia branch which IS featured on the front page of al-Naba for six weeks in a row. IS propaganda made special efforts to frame the killing of a senior military commander as a "major blow" to the ongoing efforts by Puntland forces to clear the Al Miskad mountains of IS militants. - Al-Qaeda's local affiliate in the Sahel, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), focused a large proportion of its attacks on Mali this quarter, with more incidents claimed in the country in September than in Burkina Faso. JNIM also seems to be increasingly focusing on commercial targets in an apparent effort to stymy the Malian economy, announcing a blockade on the south-western Kayes town and international commercial routes in early September. An especially large, claimed clash between JNIM and IS's Sahel branch, which allegedly killed 70 JNIM fighters, points to continuing tensions between the jihadist rivals, especially in northern Burkina Faso. - IS's West Africa branch (ISWAP) attacks dropped markedly in Q3, as assaults on well-fortified military positions – a hallmark of its activity earlier this year – became highly infrequent. ISWAP attacks now stand on a par with the traditionally less active Central Africa branch (ISCAP) and Mozambique branch. - ISCAP stepped up violence against Christian civilians in September, possibly exploiting ongoing instability as the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels continued their insurgency. Meanwhile, IS's Mozambique branch almost doubled activities compared to the previous quarter, whilst also widening attacks northwards and southwards, including into Nampula province, south of Cabo Delgado. - During the quarter, IS released four feature videos about its Africa branches - a notable increase in the frequency of this type of long-form propaganda. These showcased the activities of the Sahel, ISWAP, ISCAP and Mozambique branches. To read the whole report and access interactive maps and charts, subscribe for a trial through our portal here https://lnkd.in/dS_sQUi7
-
-
-
-
-
+1