Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa

Monotheism and Jihad Movement in West Africa
جماعة التوحيد والجهاد في غرب أفريقيا
Jamāʿat at-tawḥīd wal-jihād fī gharb ʾafrīqqīyā
LeadersHamada Ould Mohamed Kheirou (Alias Abu Qumqum)[1]
Dates of operationOctober 2011–2013
Active regions Algeria
 Mali
 Niger[2]
Allies Ansar Dine
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Opponents Algeria
 Burkina Faso
 Mali
 Mauritania
 Morocco
 Niger
 Western Sahara
 France
 Turkey
 United States
Azawad Azawad
Ganda Iso
Battles and warsNorthern Mali conflict

The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (abbreviated MOJWA) or the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (abbreviated MUJWA; Arabic: جماعة التوحيد والجهاد في غرب أفريقيا Jamāʿat at-tawḥīd wal-jihād fī gharb ʾafrīqqīyā;[3] French: Mouvement pour l'unicité et le jihad en Afrique de l'Ouest, abbreviated MUJAO), was a militant Islamist organisation that broke off from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb with the intended goal of spreading jihad across a larger section of West Africa, as well as demanding the expulsion of all French interests (especially military and resources) that operate in West Africa, which they regard as "colonialist occupiers".

Its operations were largely limited to southern Algeria and northern Mali. The group continued to be affiliated with AQIM and was sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council in 2012.

One faction of the group merged with Mokhtar Belmokhtar's Al-Mulathameen into a new group called Al-Mourabitoun in 2013.[4][5]

  1. ^ "Radical Islamist group threatens France". News24 (AFP). 3 January 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  2. ^ "Report: Islamist militants claim 2 deadly attacks in Niger". CNN. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference name was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbcmerge was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Jihadists in Mali step up attacks, kill 7 soldiers". Long War Journal. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.