Ansar Dine

This article is about the Islamist group based in Mali. For the Islamist group based in Syria, see Ansar al-Din Front. For the Sufi-based organization, see Chérif Ousmane Madani Haïdara.

Ansar Dine
Dates of operation2012 (2012)–2017 (2017)
Active regionsMali
Senegal
Mauritania
IdeologySalafi jihadism
Salafi movement
OpponentsState opponents

Non-state opponents

Battles and warsInsurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)

Ansar Dine (Arabic: أنصار الدين ʾAnṣār ad-Dīn, also transliterated Ançar Deen), meaning "helpers of the religion" (Islam)[2] (Defenders of the Faith[3]) and also known as Ansar al-Din (abbreviated as AAD),[4] was a Salafi jihadist group led by Iyad Ag Ghaly. Ansar Dine sought to impose absolute sharia across Mali.[5][6] The group took over the city of Timbuktu in 2012, which prompted the French-led intervention, Operation Serval.[7]

The organization is not to be confused with the Sufi movement Ançar Dine, founded in Southern Mali in the 1990s by Chérif Ousmane Madani Haïdara, which is fundamentally opposed to militant Islamism.[8][9] Ansar Dine is opposed to Sufi shrines, and it has destroyed a number of such shrines.[10]

Ansar Dine was active from March 2012 until March 2017, when it merged with other militant Islamist groups to form Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.[11]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference merger was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Timbuktu taken as Mali junta signals talks". Agence France-Presse. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  3. ^ Klare, Michael (2019). All Hell Breaking Loose (1st ed.). New York: Metropolitian Books. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-62779-248-6.
  4. ^ "American commandos face complicated mission in Mali". Army Times. 18 September 2017.
  5. ^ "AFP: Armed Islamist group claims control in northeast Mali". 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference AFP133 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Ban Ki-moon met en garde contre une intervention au Mali" [Ban Ki-moon warns against intervention in Mali]. Le Monde.fr (in French). 29 November 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  8. ^ "2012 - Society - Qantara.de". En.qantara.de. 19 December 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  9. ^ Flood, Derek Henry (24 July 2012), "Between Islamization and Secession: The Contest for Northern Mali", CTC Sentinel, Combating Terrorism Center, archived from the original on 2 May 2017, retrieved 12 January 2013
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).