Malian authorities reported on state television on Monday that their forces have killed a leader of an ISIS-affiliated group in West Africa, named Abu Hudhayfah, during a comprehensive operation in the Menaka region in the north.
The statement confirmed Abu Hudhayfah’s death on Sunday following the operation, without providing further details. The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program had previously offered a reward of up to $5 million for information on Abu Hudhayfah, accusing him of involvement in a 2017 attack in Niger that resulted in the deaths of 4 American soldiers and 4 Nigerien soldiers.
Over the past decade, attacks carried out by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS have killed thousands in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, destabilizing the Sahel region of Africa. According to the International Organization for Migration, the prolonged security and humanitarian crisis has displaced over 3 million people in the region as of last March.
The presence of ISIS and other Islamist groups in Mali has been a significant factor in the region’s ongoing instability and violence. Since the early 2010s, Mali has struggled with the impact of jihadist groups, which have exploited the country’s political chaos following the 2012 Tuareg Rebellion and subsequent military coup. Groups such as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), and Ansar al-Dine (AAD) have been active, often clashing with Malian and international forces, including French and UN troops.
In recent years, the presence of ISIS, specifically the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, has led to increased violence and humanitarian crises in regions like Ménaka. The town has experienced blockades imposed by jihadist groups, severely affecting the supply of goods and increasing prices, leading to significant hardships for the local population.
Efforts to control these groups have included regional collaborations like the G5 Sahel, formed by Mali along with Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad, aimed at curtailing the flow of terrorists across borders.
