Mali’s young ‘jihadists’ Fuelled by faith or circumstance?

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies challenges the conventional narrative that youth unemployment and religious fanaticism are the primary drivers of young people joining armed jihadist groups in Mali. Based on interviews with 63 previously involved youths, the study identifies a complex interplay of 15 different factors—including protection, coercion, and state absence—and argues that generic 'radicalisation' frameworks often miss the local realities of engagement.

• The relationship between youth unemployment and involvement in jihadist groups is more complex than commonly assumed. While unemployment is a factor, some young people joined these groups despite having satisfactory income-generating activities, either to protect those jobs (such as livestock farming or drug trafficking) or for non-economic reasons.
• Religious factors and indoctrination are generally marginal motivations for youth engagement in these groups. In most documented cases, involvement did not hinge on religion, and when it did, it often involved individuals with very little religious education.
• The desire for protection of oneself, family, community, or property is a primary motivator for joining armed groups. This is often linked to the withdrawal or absence of the Malian state from northern and central regions, as well as the perceived illegitimacy and abuses of state security forces.
• Women and girls are not solely victims of jihadist groups but also serve as active participants in roles such as informants, cooks, and laundresses, though they remain 'invisible actors' in current data.
• Armed groups often fill the vacuum left by a weak or absent state by providing basic social services, which motivates youth involvement. However, the mere return of the state may be harmful if the administration remains corrupt or law enforcement is biased.
• The concepts of 'radicalisation', 'de-radicalisation', and 'violent extremism' are viewed as potentially counterproductive because they obscure local dynamics. The study found that interviewees were rarely 'radicalised' in the sense of adhering to a religiously inspired ideology.

APA

Théroux-Bénoni, L.-A., Assanvo, W., Maïga, I., Abatan, J. E. A., Ba, F., Gnonsekan, P. O., Kanté, A., Keïta, K. Y., Sawadogo, W. A., Cissé, M. G., Diallo, A., Dicko, B. É., Cissé, A. D. S., Dogoni, Y., Tandjigora, F., & Tounkara, A. (2016). Mali’s young ‘jihadists’ Fuelled by faith or circumstance? Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief89-eng-v3.pdf

Chicago

Théroux-Bénoni, Lori-Anne, William Assanvo, Ibrahim Maïga, Jeannine Ella A Abatan, Fatimata Ba, Patrick Olivier Gnonsekan, Aïssatou Kanté, et al. Mali’s young ‘jihadists’ Fuelled by faith or circumstance? Institute for Security Studies, 2016. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief89-eng-v3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Théroux-Bénoni |first1=Lori-Anne |last2=Assanvo |first2=William |last3=Maïga |first3=Ibrahim |last4=Abatan |first4=Jeannine Ella A |last5=Ba |first5=Fatimata |last6=Gnonsekan |first6=Patrick Olivier |last7=Kanté |first7=Aïssatou |last8=Keïta |first8=Kadiatou Yacouba |last9=Sawadogo |first9=Wendyam Aristide |display-authors=etal |title=Mali’s young ‘jihadists’ Fuelled by faith or circumstance? |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=August 2016 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief89-eng-v3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{throuxbnoni2016malis, author = {Théroux-Bénoni, Lori-Anne and Assanvo, William and Maïga, Ibrahim and Abatan, Jeannine Ella A and Ba, Fatimata and Gnonsekan, Patrick Olivier and Kanté, Aïssatou and Keïta, Kadiatou Yacouba and Sawadogo, Wendyam Aristide and Cissé, Modibo Galy and Diallo, Aboubacar and Dicko, Bréma Ély and Cissé, Amadou dit Samba and Dogoni, Yacouba and Tandjigora, Fodié and Tounkara, Aly}, title = {{Mali’s young ‘jihadists’ Fuelled by faith or circumstance?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief89-eng-v3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }