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8 Militant Islamic Groups Terrorizing Africa Today

Posted byBy ABS Contributor | Published on: | Updated on May 3, 2014 CommentsComments (14)

Ansar DineAnsar Dine

Ansar Dine is a militant Islamist group led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, one of the most prominent leaders of the Tuareg rebellion in the 1990s. He is suspected of having ties with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which is led by his cousin Hamada Ag Hama, as well as other splinter Islamist groups. Ansar Dine wants the imposition of strict Sharia law across Mali. The group’s first action was in March 2012.

In June of 2012, the Ansar Dine group, which controlled much of northern Mali, attacked the mausoleum of Sidi Mahmoud, one of 16 shrines in the city. Ansar Dine spokesman Sanda Ould Boumama told the AFP news agency that the shrines would be destroyed, “all of them, without exception.” In addition to the shrines, Timbuktu is home to some 700,000 ancient manuscripts held in about 60 private libraries.

Source: Atlantablackstar.com, Wikipedia.org

azawad mapMovement for the Liberation of Azawad 

The Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, which was founded in October 2011, is a political and military organization based in Azawad, northern Mali. The movement is made up of Tuareg, and some of them are believed to have previously fought in the Libyan army during the 2011 Libyan civil war. The Malian government has accused the movement of having links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. However, the MNLA deny the claims.

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