Islamists in the Sahel

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  "authors": [
    "Anouar Boukhars"
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  "regions": [
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In The Media

Islamists in the Sahel

The conflict in northern Mali cannot be solved by a military solution alone. Any effort to end the violence will have to utilize diplomatic and political components to address the grievances of the groups that have taken up arms.

By Anouar Boukhars

Published on Jan 17, 2013

Source: WBEZ's Worldview

The turmoil in northern Mali and southern Algeria may be an unpleasant harbinger of things to come. Speaking on WBEZ’s Worldview, Anouar Boukhars suggested that it is likely that there will continue to be incidents like the recent kidnapping of 45 hostages from an Algerian gas field. “This is something we should get used to,” noted Boukhars. Indeed, following the French intervention in northern Mali a host of terrorist groups vowed revenge and reprisal against not just the French, but the West in general and any African countries sending troops into Mali, he added The United States and other Western allies would have preferred a consortium led by west African forces, said Boukhars. However, the French intervention escalated the violence and provided a rallying point for the various disparate terrorist groups in the region. Ultimately, Boukhars argued that there can be no military solution to the conflict, suggesting that the conflict is political in nature and will need to be addressed through political and diplomatic measures.

About the Author

Anouar Boukhars

Former Nonresident Fellow, Middle East Program

Boukhars was a nonresident fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program. He is a professor of countering violent extremism and counter-terrorism at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University.

Recent Work

Article
Islamic Authority and Arab States in a Time of Pandemic
- +3
  Frederic Wehrey, Nathan J. Brown, Bader Al-Saif, …
Commentary
A Different Type of Alliance
- Anouar Boukhars

Political Reform Security North Africa Algeria Southern, Eastern, and Western Africa Mali

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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