Why do Pastoralists in Mali join Jihadist Groups?

The research argues that the expansion of jihadist groups in central Mali is fueled by a 'predatory and corrupt state' and a development model that ignores pastoral priorities. By analyzing land-use conflicts in the Mopti region, the authors find that pastoralists support jihadist groups because they offer an anti-elite discourse and a perceived alternative to a state that extracts rent through corrupt courts and a paramilitary Forest Service. The study concludes that recruitment is largely a strategic response to material interests and political exclusion.

• Pastoralists in the Mopti region are drawn to jihadist groups due to a combination of anti-state and anti-elite sentiment, a pro-pastoral discourse, and fatigue with a corrupt state that extracts rent from the rural peasantry.
• The Malian Forest Service, a paramilitary organization, is viewed as a predatory entity that uses the discourse of fighting desertification to justify random fining and 'decentralised plunder' of rural populations.
• State corruption in the judiciary and administration has hindered the resolution of land-use conflicts, as officials often accept bribes from multiple parties to avoid reaching a final adjudication.
• Jihadist leader Hamadoun Koufa recruits followers by framing the presence of French and UN (MINUSMA) forces as 're-colonisation' and linking this to the economic exploitation of Malian resources.
• The recruitment of Fulani pastoralists is increasingly tied to ethnic marginalisation and perceived state violence, creating a 'Fulani question' similar to the 'Tuareg question' in northern Mali.
• In the Soosoobé versus Salsalbé conflict, jihadist intervention shifted land access in favor of non-elite pastoralists by rejecting the priority rights previously upheld by the colonial and Malian state for the Fulani elite.
• The conflict in Sari between Dogon farmers and Fulani pastoralists escalated after a state power vacuum in 2012, leading many Fulani to join groups like MUJAO and the FLM to resist army violence and elite domination.
• There is a significant disconnect between the international perception of Mali as a 'model for African democracy' and the internal reality of a corrupt bureaucratic system and peasant resistance.
• The expansion of jihadism in the Mopti region is characterized as a reaction to 'green militarization,' where the use of paramilitary techniques for conservation provoked insurgency.

APA

Benjaminsen, T. A., & Ba, B. (n.d.). Why do Pastoralists in Mali join Jihadist Groups? Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b4583f0f-f505-4509-b4d3-8a29bbd55053/Why do pastoralists in Mali join jihadist groups A political ecological explanation.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Benjaminsen, Tor A., and Boubacar Ba. Why do Pastoralists in Mali join Jihadist Groups? Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b4583f0f-f505-4509-b4d3-8a29bbd55053/Why do pastoralists in Mali join jihadist groups A political ecological explanation.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Benjaminsen |first1=Tor A. |last2=Ba |first2=Boubacar |title=Why do Pastoralists in Mali join Jihadist Groups? |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b4583f0f-f505-4509-b4d3-8a29bbd55053/Why do pastoralists in Mali join jihadist groups A political ecological explanation.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{benjaminsenndwhy, author = {Benjaminsen, Tor A. and Ba, Boubacar}, title = {{Why do Pastoralists in Mali join Jihadist Groups?}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b4583f0f-f505-4509-b4d3-8a29bbd55053/Why do pastoralists in Mali join jihadist groups A political ecological explanation.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }