Grade: 8,5
Research question: To what extent and how has social inequality influenced the mobilization of Islamist groups and their conflict-related crimes in Mali since 2017?
3. The conflict in Mali….………………………………………………………………..9
3.1 History of conflict……………………………………………………..9
3.2 Profile of the Islamist groups JNIM and ISGS………………………10
4. Case analysis: Social inequality and mobilization theories in Mali.…………………12
4.1 Consequences of relative deprivation and grievances………………..13
4.2 Shared grievances and resource mobilization in empowering JNIM and
xxxxxxISGS……………………………………………………………...…..15
4.3 Influence of (non-)ethnic mobilization on conflict-related violence by
xxxxxxJNIM and ISGS…………………..………………………….……….16
5. Conclusion and discussion...…………………………………………………………18
5.1 Limitations……………………………………………...……………18
5.2 Research and policy suggestions.…………………………………….19
References……………………………………………………………………………………21
, 3
1. Introduction
In 2022, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) recorded an all-time high of more than
3600 fatalities as a result of organized violence, involving Islamist groups Jama'at Nusrat
al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) in Mali
(UCDP, n.d.). Despite prior conflict between these Islamist groups, either with Mali’s
government or among themselves, the situation took a new turn with a resurgence of violent
conflict starting in 2017, leading to a violent escalation within the country (Africa Center for
Strategic Studies [ACSS], 2020; UCDP, n.d.). This resurgence can be attributed to the
absence and further retreat of the state, coupled with the neglect of central Mali by
international actors. These factors collectively paved the way for the integration and
entrenching of violent non-state actors within marginalized communities. Recruitment by the
non-state actors, the Islamist groups, has concentrated on marginalized ethnic groups in Mali
by exploiting their grievances (Human Rights Watch, 2022). This recruitment process also
led different ethnic groups in the conflict area to establish self-defense militias (UCDP, n.d.).
Social inequality is of great importance when exploring the complex dynamics of
mobilization of ethnic groups to Islamist groups. The Inequality-adjusted Human
Development Index (IHDI) examines the level of inequality in a society. The greater the
inequality in a country, the larger the loss in human development, which is reflected in the
difference between the Human Development Index (HDI) and the IHDI. The extreme low
HDI and high IHDI index in Mali highlights the significant gaps in social inequality (United
Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2022).
The influence of social inequality on mobilization and conflict-related violence has
been widely researched. The classic theory of relative deprivation (Gurr, 1970) argues that
the greater the perceived discrepancy between man’s value expectations and their value
capabilities, the more likely they will resort to violence. The relative deprivation theory has
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