Networks and spatial patterns of extremist organizations in North and West Africa

This chapter represents alliances and conflicts of 179 organizations involved in violent events in the Sahel-Sahara between 1997 and 2014. Network analysis shows that groups with similar allies and foes are likely to have similar aggression patterns. Spatial analysis suggests that cross-border movement has intensified following the establishment of military bases by AQIM in Mali but reveals no evidence of a border “sanctuary.” The chapter confirms that national management strategies and foreign military interventions have profoundly affected the movement of Islamist groups in the region.