CONFLICTED

Mali: When Jihadists Win

Dienstag, 27. Januar 2026 · 55 min

MP3

Shownotes

As jihadist violence in Mali escalates, Thomas and Aimen trace the history and present-day power of JNIM (‘Support Group for Islam and Muslims’), an Al Qaeda affiliate that has been laying siege to the capital Bamako. Will Mali’s secular state survive? Or is a jihadist takeover of the whole country now inevitable?

**Including BONUS MATERIAL for subscribers to the Conflicted Community!**

Thomas and Aimen discuss:

• The evolution of JNIM out of AQIM (‘Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’)

• The jihadist ‘privateers’ who built the organisation

• Slavery and racial hierarchy in the Sahel

• Will JNIM’s leader Iyad ag-Ghali become the King of Mali?

• Fuel blockades, economic warfare, and attacks on the capital, Bamako

• Whether Mali can still exist as a sovereign state

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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.

Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.

Produced by Thomas Small and edited by Lizzy Andrews.

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