Sahel-based extremists economically exploit social divisions to expand reach

Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated group operating across Africa’s Sahel region, has steadily expanded its influence by targeting vulnerable communities.

JNIM capitalizes on weak governance, chronic poverty, and deep ethnic tensions across countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

By embedding itself within local grievances, the group recruits fighters, generates revenue, and exert control over territory.

Across the Sahel, economic deprivation has left large segments of the population without stable livelihoods or access to state services.

JNIM exploits this vacuum by presenting itself as an alternative authority that can provide income, protection, and a sense of belonging.

Young men with limited prospects are particularly vulnerable to recruitment, as the group offers stipends, weapons, and fake social status.

Exploiting social and ethnic fractures

JNIM’s strategy relies heavily on amplifying existing ethnic and social divisions to weaken community cohesion and facilitate recruitment.

In Mali and neighboring countries, long-standing tensions between pastoralist and farming communities have been manipulated by the group to justify violence and mobilize support.

By aligning with some ethnic groups while exploiting rivalries among others, JNIM portrays itself as a defender of local interests while deepening civilian mistrust.

The group also leverages religious and social grievances, portraying itself as a protector of Islamic identity against perceived external threats.

Through propaganda and local intermediaries, JNIM frames conflicts in ideological terms that resonate with communities already feeling marginalized.

Ransoms and economic exploitation

In addition to recruitment, JNIM sustains its operations through a diverse funding model that exploits fragile local economies.

Kidnapping for ransom remains one of the group’s most lucrative activities, with both foreign nationals and local elites targeted.

"The group’s financial resources are mainly obtained through ransom-taking, extortion, imposing forced taxes, arms smuggling, and cooperation with organized crime networks," said Shoaib Rahmani, a counter-terrorism expert based in the Netherlands.

"The group gradually enters and fills the governance vacuum by mediating local disputes, then consolidates its authority by imposing taxes and enforcing security control," he told Salaam Times.

The group also imposes informal taxation and extortion schemes on communities under its influence, often demanding payments in cash, livestock, or goods.

Farmers, traders, and transporters are frequently forced to pay protection fees or risk violence.

By controlling key trade routes and markets, JNIM is able to extract resources from already struggling populations.

This economic coercion further entrenches the group’s authority while weakening the financial resilience of local communities.

"The combination of violence, intimidation, illicit economy, and recruitment of vulnerable individuals forms the core pillars of its strategy," said Ismatullah Nouri, a global affairs analyst based in London.