| Summary: | Cross border jihadist activity in Central and Northern Mali continues to pose
significant security threat to the region. From 2011 until 2013, most northern parts of the
country fell under jihadists control where local populations lived under strict sharia laws.
This growing insecurity came as a result of socio economical injustices, particularly towards
the northern population mostly composed of Tuareg people. Years of marginalization have
led to several rebellions and to the expansion of jihadist factions throughout the country.
While the international community acknowledges the need for a swift reaction to eradicate
jihadist cells in the region, many activists and researchers call for a more durable solution,
one the starts with a holistic understanding of the underlying causes for such groups to gain
more power and legitimacy.
This study feeds from this rising need for more informed analysis on jihadist groups and
aims at challenging the traditional perceptions by recognizing that Jihad is a social
movement with social and political claims. Through the leans of social movement theory,
this research focused on the collective action frames presented in the jihadist propaganda.
The purpose is to consider the social and identity elements it their narrative that might lead
to mobilization and support from their target audience.
To reach this end, the study identified three Jihadist groups present in Mali through which a
set of official propaganda materials was selected to conduct an in-depth thematic analysis.
The results make it evident that the three jihadist groups in Mali legitimize their claim and
mobilize for support through a discourse filled with social resistance narratives drawn from
past and current social struggles.
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