Country Report on Terrorism 2024 - Chapter 4 - ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS)

ISIS in the Greater Sahara

Aka ISIS-GS; Islamic State in the Greater Sahara; Islamic State of the Greater Sahel; ISIS in the Greater Sahel; ISIS in the Islamic Sahel.

Description:  ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS) was designated as an FTO on May 23, 2018.  ISIS-GS emerged when leader Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi and his followers split from al-Murabitoun.  Al-Sahrawi first pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2015, which ISIS acknowledged in 2016.  In 2022, ISIS-GS was elevated to a formal ISIS branch and changed its name to ISIS-Sahel (Aka:  ISIS-Sahel Province).

Activities:  In February 2024, ISIS-GS claimed responsibility for an attack on a Catholic church in northern Burkina Faso that killed at least 15 civilians.

Strength:  ISIS-GS was estimated to have up to 3,000 fighters.

Location/Area of Operation:  Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and to a lesser extent, Benin and Nigeria.

Funding and External Aid:  ISIS-GS’s sources of funding were unknown.  The group probably funded itself from smuggling activities, extortion and taxation, attacks on gold mines, kidnappings for ransom, theft, and from other groups operating in the region.

Associated documents