Abu Walid Al-Sahraoui, a terrorist leader who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State organization, declared war on the Daousahak and Imghad of Moussa Ag Acharatoumane and El Hadj Gamou, accused of defending “several times Niger and … France” against him and his men.
The letter is handwritten but another version translated into French and typed on the computer is circulating on social networks. Abu Walid Al-Saharaoui, the emir of the Islamic State group in the Sahel, is violently attacking Moussa AG Acharatoumane and El Hadj Gamou and their respective communities.
The two men are respectively leaders of the armed groups MSA (Movement for the Salvation of Azawad) and GATIA, precisely in Menaka, base of the two movements. Abu Walid, former terrorist leader of the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) during the occupation of northern Mali in 2012, “promises a war of extermination” against the two men and their communities for having defended Niger and lent a strong hand to the French army.
A few months ago, GATIA and the MSA held meetings in Menaka where they decided to ensure the security of the area together. From local sources, they are still conducting patrols to the Nigerien border where they have already helped the Nigerien army track down the perpetrators of terrorist attacks. Abu Walid el-Saharaoui was an influential member of the Mujao between 2012 and 2013, the date of the occupation of northern Mali. Since then, he has joined the Islamic State organization, a terrorist movement whose presence has been reported in the Sahel for two years but has not yet claimed any attacks.
Some observers and analysts doubt the authenticity of the letter and claim that it is a means for armed groups to draw the attention of the international community.
Aboubacar Dicko