Al-Mourabitoun (militant group)
Al-Mourabitoun (Arabic: المرابطون, romanized: al-Murābiṭūn, lit. 'The Sentinels') was an African militant jihadist organization formed by a merger between Ahmed Ould Amer, a.k.a. Ahmed al-Tilemsi's Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa and Mokhtar Belmokhtar's Al-Mulathameen. On 4 December 2015, it joined Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The group seeks to implement Sharia law in Mali, Algeria, southwestern Libya, and Niger.
| al-Mourabitoun | |
|---|---|
| المرابطون | |
| Leaders | Abubakr al-Masri † Mokhtar Belmokhtar † Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi † |
| Dates of operation | August 2013 – 2 March 2017 |
| Active regions | Algeria Burkina Faso Ivory Coast Libya Mali Niger |
| Ideology | Salafist jihadism |
| Size | Under 100 (May 2014, French claim) |
| Part of | Al-Qaeda Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin |
| Opponents |
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| Battles and wars | Northern Mali conflict In Amenas hostage crisis March 2015 Bamako shooting 2015 Bamako hotel attack 2016 Ouagadougou attacks 2016 Grand-Bassam shootings 2017 Gao bombing |
On 2 March 2017, al-Mourabitoun's cells in Mali, along with those of Ansar Dine, Macina Liberation Front and the Saharan branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb merged into Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, the official branch of Al-Qaeda in Mali, after its leaders swore allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri.