According to a report for Jamestown (31 May 2015) by Nicholas Heras, the prominent trans-Sahara jihadist leader known as Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi has
pledged allegiance to Islamic State on behalf of himself and a section of the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA). He also called for all jihadist groups in the region to follow suit. The section of MUJWA led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, however, remains loyal to al-Qaeda.
Nicholas Heras analyzes: "Al-Sahrawi is a committed jihadist leader with long experience as an outspoken commander in Saharan and Sahelian insurgent movements. This experience combined with his ability to network with jihadist fighters position him as one of the more important militant Salafist leaders in this vast region. As a veteran combatant commander in the Malian war who supports operations directed at kidnapping Westerners in this region, Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi"s leadership is a threat to international as well as local actors. Furthermore, his reported declaration of‚
baya"a‚ to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, when taken in the context of similar declarations by Boko Haram and Libyan militant Salafist organizations, represents the continued expansion of the influence of the Islamic State in the potentially lucrative black market trade of the Sahara and Sahel area."
Dennis Pastoor, persecution analyst of WWR, further comments: "The prospect of an increasingly powerful militant Salafist insurgency in Mauritania is among the more serious threats to Christians in the country. Improved access to the Internet, and militant Salafist social media forums, combined with outside funding of schools and Islamic NGOs, is leading to growing radicalization of the Muslim community in Mauritania, which could as a result target the country"s Christian community. But, while radical Islamic groups are getting stronger, the secular camp is also growing in influence and articulation. There is also greater openness to outside ideas and influence, in part related to Mauritania"s more relaxed visa policy and relatively open media. Books, websites, TV, movies and entertainment from the West are all having a profound influence and have increased the questioning of tradition. It could be said that Mauritania is heading more and more towards a "˜split" country, with greater secularization and "˜world culture" on one side, and greater Islamic radicalization on the other."
