| Ansar al-Sharia (Mali) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dates of operation | 9 December 2012 – present |
| Country |  Mali |
| Allegiance | Ansar al Sharia |
| Motives | establishing anIslamic emirate |
| Ideology | Islamism Salafi jihadism |
| Opponents | Mali |
| Battles and wars | Islamist insurgency in the Sahel |
 | This article needs to beupdated. The reason given is: No updates since 2013. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2025) |
Ansar al-Sharia (Mali) (Partisans ofIslamic Law) is[citation needed] a radicalIslamist group that operates in theAzawad region ofMali.
Following theAzawad insurgency in 2012, the northern region of Mali achieved de facto independence from the Mali central government, with the region taken over by a number ofIslamist groups includingAnsar Dine,Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa andAl-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
On 9 December 2012, a group of Malian Islamists in the city ofGao announced the creation of a new group called Ansar al-Sharia, a name used by recently founded organizations in a number of Muslim countries including Yemen, Libya and Tunisia.[1]
Most of the group's leaders are from the Arab clans ofBerabiches fromTimbuktu; some of the families of this tribe reportedly have relations by marriage with elements ofAl-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.[2] The ethnic makeup of this group is in contrast to that of theTuareg-dominatedAnsar Dine.
Like the otherAnsar al-Sharia groups, the branch in Mali is described as based on certain principles, such as opposition to western-democracy,Salafist Jihadism ideology and the goal of establishing anIslamic emirate.[1] Its formation was not accompanied by the provision of aid and religious preaching that has been typical of other branches ofAnsar al-Sharia.[3]
Following the2013 French intervention in northern Mali, the Jihadist groups formerly running the region switched tofighting an insurgency; however, Ansar al-Sharia has not been credited with participating in any of them.[3]
 | This article related to aparamilitary organization or suspected paramilitary organization is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |