Country Report on Terrorism 2024 - Chapter 4 - Al-Murabitoun

Al-Murabitoun

Aka:  al-Mulathamun Battalion; al-Mulathamun Brigade; al-Muwaqqi’un bil-Dima; Those Signed in Blood Battalion; Signatories in Blood; Those Who Sign in Blood; Witnesses in Blood; Signed-in-Blood Battalion; Masked Men Brigade; Khaled Abu al-Abbas Brigade; al-Mulathamun Masked Ones Brigade; the Sentinels.

Description:  Al-Murabitoun became a component of JNIM and was designated as an FTO on December 19, 2013, originally under the name al-Mulathamun Battalion.  Al-Murabitoun was originally part of al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) but became a separate organization in 2012 after its leader, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, split from AQIM.  After the split, Belmokhtar threatened to fight Western interests and announced the creation of the al-Mulathamun Battalion.  In 2013, the al-Mulathamun Battalion and the Mali-based Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (known as MUJAO) announced that the two organizations would merge under the name “al-Murabitoun.” In 2015, al-Murabitoun announced a re-merger with AQIM, while a faction defected to ISIS and ultimately became ISIS in the Greater Sahara.  In 2017, the Sahara Branch of AQIM, al-Murabitoun, AAD, and the Macina Liberation Front came together to form JNIM.

Activities:  Al-Murabitoun did not claim responsibility for any attacks in 2024.

Strength:  Al-Murabitoun’s precise numbers were unknown.

Location/Area of Operation:  Primarily Algeria; also operated in Burkina Faso, Libya, and Niger.

Funding and External Aid:  In addition to the support, it may have received through its connections to other terrorist organizations in the region, al-Murabitounis likely funded through kidnappings for ransom and other criminal activities.

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