ABIDJAN — In Africa’s Sahel, the Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group JNIM is expanding its influence through violence, aid, and local agreements, positioning itself as a political force.

The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has carried out massacres and military attacks while also distributing food, signing pacts with local leaders, and easing blockades in exchange for communities accepting its rule. The UN calls JNIM the region’s biggest security threat, combining propaganda and force to weaken states.

Unlike its rival Islamic State in the Sahel, which rules through extreme brutality, JNIM uses a more flexible strategy — imposing Islamic law, collecting taxes, and negotiating truces — allowing it to embed itself in marginalised communities.

Observers note JNIM has allied with Tuareg rebels and may be inspired by Syria’s HTS and Afghanistan’s Taliban as models. But analysts say its Al-Qaeda ties, limited resources, and ethnic affiliations constrain its ambitions for wider state capture.

While JNIM has shown it can govern indirectly through deals, experts caution that truly transforming into a political power could take years and would require cutting ties with Al-Qaeda and shifting tactics to win broader support.