How an al-Qaeda offshoot became one of Africa's deadliest militant groups

On July 1, the group said it had carried out a major coordinated attack on seven military locations in western Mali, including near the borders with Senegal and Mauritania.

There is growing concern about the impact JNIM could have on the stability of the region.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have struggled to contain the violence – and this is one of the factors that contributed to several military coups in the three Sahel countries over the last five years.

But like the civilian governments they replaced, the boards are seemingly unable to stem the growing jihadist threat, especially from JNIM.

What is JNIM?
JNIM has become one of Africa's deadliest jihadist groups within the space of just a few years.

It was formed in Mali in 2017, as a coalition of five jihadist militant groups:

Ansar Dine
Katibat Macina
Al-Mourabitoun
Ansar al-Islam
The Sahara branch of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
These groups started collaborating after the French military pushed back several jihadist and separatist organizations that were operating in northern Mali in 2012. Eventually, the leaders of the groups came together to create JNIM.

In recent years, they have expanded geographically, establishing new areas of operation.

JNIM is led by Iyad Ag Ghali, a former Malian diplomat who belongs to the Tuareg ethnic group. He was at the helm of the Tuareg uprising against the Malian government in 2012 which sought to establish an independent state for the Tuareg people called Azawad. Deputy leader Amadou Koufa is from the Fulani community.

Analysts believe the central leadership helps guide local branches which operate across the Sahel region of West Africa.

While it is difficult to know exactly how many fighters there are in JNIM's ranks, or how many have recently been recruited, experts suggest it could be several thousand - mostly young men and boys who lack other economic opportunities in one of the poorest regions in the world.

What does JNIM want?
The group rejects the authority of the Sahel governments, seeking to impose its strict interpretation of Islam and Sharia in the areas where it operates.

Analysts say that in some areas, JNIM has been known to impose strict dress codes, implement bans against music and smoking, order men to grow beards and prevent women from being in public spaces alone.

This version of Islam can be at odds with the religion as practiced by local communities, says Yvan Guichaoua, a senior researcher at the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies.

"These practices are clearly breaking from established practices and certainly not very popular," he says.

"But whether it's attractive or not, also depends on what the state is able to deliver, and there has been a lot of disappointment in what the state has been doing for the past years."

Disillusionment with the secular justice system can make the introduction of Sharia courts appealing to some.

Where does JNIM operate?
After its beginnings in central and northern Mali, JNIM rapidly expanded its reach. While its strongholds are in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, JNIM has also carried out attacks in Benin, Togo and at one point Ivory Coast.

It is now operational throughout Mali and 11 of Burkina Faso's 13 regions, according to the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (Gi-Toc), a civil society organization.

In the last year, Burkina Faso has become the epicenter of the group's activities – predominantly the northern and eastern border regions. This is, in part, because of divisions and defections in the country's military as well as how deeply embedded the militants are in the local communities, according to Beverly Ochieng, a senior analyst for security consultancy firm Control Risk.

"JNIM have an ability to embed in local communities or to be able to use local grievances as a means of recruiting or gaining sympathy towards their cause," she told the BBC.