Islamist insurgency in the Maghreb
Part of the War on terror
Mapa GSPC.svg
Map showing GSPC area of operations (pink), member states of the Pan Sahel Initiative (dark blue), and members of the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative (dark and light blue).
Date11 April 2002 – present
(20 years, 2 months, 2 weeks and 3 days)
Location
Maghreb, Sahara desert
Status

Ongoing

  • Insurgency in Algeria spreads through the Maghreb and in the Sahel
  • US-led Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara initiated in 2007
  • Islamists capture northern Mali in 2012, engaging in a civil war
  • Chaambi Operations and IS insurgency in Tunisia
  • IS captures territory in the Second Libyan Civil War, largely fought back by 2016
Belligerents

 Algeria
 Mali
 Mauritania
 Tunisia
 Libya
 Morocco

International Missions:
  • United NationsMINUSMA (from 2013)
  • AFISMA (from 2013)
  • European UnionEUTM Mali
Supported by:
  •  United States (AFRICOM)
  •  United Kingdom
  •  Sweden
  •  Netherlands
  •  Germany
  •  Denmark
  •  Czech Republic
  •  Russia

Flag of Jihad.svg Al-Qaeda

  • AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg AQIM(from 2007)
  • Flag of Jihad.svg Ansar al-Sharia (Tunisia)(from 2011)
  • AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Uqba ibn Nafi Brigade(2012-14)

Flag of Jihad.svg GSPC(until 2007)
Flag of Ansar al-Sharia (Libya).svg Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)(2012–17)
Salafia Jihadia


 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant(from 2014)

  • Islamic State of Iraq and the LevantLibyan Provinces
  • Islamic State of Iraq and the LevantWilayat al-Jazair
  • Islamic State of Iraq and the LevantGreater Sahara Province
  • Uqba ibn Nafi Brigade(from 2014)
Commanders and leaders
Show list
  • AlgeriaAbdelmadjid Tebboune
    (President of Algeria, from 2019)
  • AlgeriaAymen Benabderrahmane
    (Prime Minister of Algeria, from 2021)
  • MauritaniaMohamed Ould Ghazouani
    (President of Mauritania, from 2019)
  • MauritaniaMohamed Ould Bilal
    (prime minister of Mauritania, from 2020)
  • TunisiaKais Saied
    (President of Tunisia, from 2019)
  • TunisiaNajla Bouden
    (Prime Minister of Tunisia, from 2021)
  • LibyaMohamed al-Menfi
    (head of Presidential Council, from 2021)
  • LibyaAbdul Hamid Dbeibeh
    (Prime Minister of Libya, from 2021)
  • MaliAssimi Goïta
    (President of Mali, from 2021)
  • MaliChoguel Kokalla Maïga
    (Prime Minister of Mali, from 2021)
  • NigerMohamed Bazoum
    (President of Niger, from 2021)
  • NigerOuhoumoudou Mahamadou
    (Prime Minister of Niger, from 2021)
  • ChadMahamat Deby Itno
    (Chairman of the Transitional Military Council, from 2021)
  • FranceEmmanuel Macron
    (President of France, from 2017)
  • FranceJean Castex
    (Prime Minister of France, from 2020)
  • MoroccoKing Mohammed VI
    (King of Morocco, from 2002)
  • MoroccoAziz Akhannouch
    (Prime Minister of Morocco, from 2021)
  • United StatesJoe Biden
    (President of the United States, from 2021)

Flag of Jihad.svg Amari Saifi (POW)
Flag of Jihad.svg Nabil Sahraoui 
AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Abdelmalek Droukdel 
AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Abu Ubaidah Youssef al-Annabi
AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Abdelhamid Abou Zeid 
Mokhtar Belmokhtar
Flag of Jihad.svg Ahmed al Tilemsi 
Flag of Jihad.svg Seifallah Ben Hassine 
Flag of Ansar al-Sharia (Libya).svg Mohamed al-Zahawi 


Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Leader of ISIL)
Abu Nabil al-Anbari 

Gouri Abdelmalek 
Strength

Total armed forces (unless specified):
 Algeria:520,000
 Mauritania:15,870
 Tunisia:45,000; 6,000 deployed in Chaambi
 Libya:35,000

 France: 5,100 deployed in the Sahel


Supported by:
 United States: 1,325+ advisors, trainers

Flag of Jihad.svg AQIM (former GSPC): 1,000–4,000
Flag of Jihad.svg Ansar al-Sharia (Tunisia): 1,000
Flag of Ansar al-Sharia (Libya).svg Ansar al-Sharia (Libya): 5,000+
Flag of Jihad.svg Salafia Jihadia: 700+


 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

  • Libyan Provinces: 5,000–10,000
  • Wilayat al-Jazair: Fewer than 30
Casualties and losses

Major conflict casualties:

  • 2002: 1,100+ killed in Algeria
  • 2003: 1,162 killed in Algeria
  • 2004: 429 killed in Algeria
  • 2005: 488 killed in Algeria
  • 2006: 323 killed in Algeria

Algeria: 3,502+ total killed (2002–06)

Libya: 10,071+ killed (2014–18), 20,000+ wounded (as of May 2015)