The “Glocal” nature of Jihadist insurgencies? Conflict, space, land and resources in the Sahel

The Sahel is considered one of the epicentres of jihadist insurgencies in Africa. Jihadist groups have been particularly effective in intercepting, manipulating and fostering local economic, “ethnic”, social and political grievances. In turn, participating in and shaping local struggles has finally affected the very nature and objectives of these same groups. The objective of this chapter is to offer an overview of the current insecurity situation in the area by retracing the genealogy of the jihadist actors at the centre of the crisis and focusing on how they have used land and space management as a key tool of conflict and contention. It does so by presenting and discussing three different phases of the jihadist groups' presence in the Sahel: their arrival; their participation in the 2012 insurgency in northern Mali; and their conquest of the Inner Niger Delta. In this way, the chapter illustrates how this Algerian-born insurgency, loosely linked to al-Qaeda, has undertaken a process of “sahelisation”, which has simultaneously changed the membership and the agenda of the insurgent groups, as well as the conflict-laden environment where they have been acting. In turn, this process has reinforced the apparently never-ending cycle of violence that is still shaping the Sahel.