Jamaʿat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) has defended its military campaign against the governments of Mali and Burkina Faso, describing its operations as a response to the persecution of Muslims, attacks on marginalised communities and abuses committed by forces belonging to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
In an extensive and rare interview, Shaykh Abu Mahmud, JNIM’s commander in Burkina Faso, said the group had assumed responsibility for protecting communities it claims have been abandoned or targeted by state forces.
The interview, conducted in Fulfulde with Arabic translation, can be viewed here.
It follows months of coordinated attacks on military positions in Mali and Burkina Faso throughout 2026.
Shaykh Abu Mahmud said JNIM’s battlefield successes could not be explained solely by military strategy, weapons or material resources. Instead, he attributed them to faith, religious commitment and the willingness of fighters to sacrifice themselves in defence of vulnerable communities.
Opening with a message marking the beginning of the Islamic new year, he urged Muslims to reflect on the previous year, repent for their shortcomings and increase their worship while they still had the opportunity.
He reminded listeners that death could come unexpectedly and encouraged believers to strive to make each day better than the last.
The commander framed the conflict within a broader religious context, arguing that Islam faced growing hostility and that Muslims had a duty to strengthen their faith and defend their religion.
According to Shaykh Abu Mahmud, JNIM’s operations were launched in response to the suffering of women, children and other vulnerable civilians living under AES control.
He criticised coalition forces and their allies of killing civilians, looting property, mutilating bodies and committing other acts of brutality.
He said JNIM fighters had willingly accepted responsibility for defending those communities, sacrificing their lives and possessions without seeking worldly gain.
Foreign support allegations
Shaykh Abu Mahmud rejected claims that JNIM’s military capabilities were the result of extensive foreign support.
He said the movement regarded God as the source of its victories and insisted that success did not depend solely on weapons, troop numbers or intelligence.
While acknowledging that receiving lawful assistance was not inherently objectionable, he argued that any support from France, as alleged by the military authorities, would have been evident in the equipment used by JNIM fighters.
He further contended that it was the AES governments themselves that benefited from significant foreign military support.
Rejection of Fulani nationalism
The commander also rejected attempts to portray the conflict as a Fulani nationalist struggle.
He argued that an ethnic movement alone could neither seize control of an entire state nor unite communities from different backgrounds.
According to Shaykh Abu Mahmud, the Fulani do not control any of the three AES governments and could not realistically confront every other ethnic group solely on the basis of ethnicity.
Instead, he presented Islam as a unifying foundation capable of bringing together the region’s diverse communities.
He alleged that AES governments treated Fulani, Arab and Tuareg communities as permanent suspects, regardless of their conduct.
Addressing Fulani listeners in their own language, he argued that remaining passive had not protected their communities.
He said some people who chose not to resist had nevertheless been killed, while others who had fought for years remained alive. Life and death, he added, were ultimately determined by God rather than by a person’s decision to resist or remain silent.
Muslim scholars and the Burkinabè government
The interview also addressed growing tensions between the Burkinabè government and Muslim religious leaders who had previously supported it.
Shaykh Abu Mahmud referred to Shaykh Dr Muhammad Ishaq Kindo, head of the Council of Sunni Ulama, who was arrested after criticising certain government policies despite previously adopting pro-government positions.
He argued that successive governments had followed a similar pattern: seeking the support of Muslim leaders while consolidating power before later turning against the Muslim community.
He cited mosque closures, the detention of religious scholars, intimidation, imprisonment and restrictions on prayer in workplaces.
Although he criticised Muslims who had supported what he described as a non-Islamic government, Shaykh Abu Mahmud said JNIM did not celebrate the imprisonment or persecution of religious figures, regardless of their previous support for the authorities.
Military equipment and territorial control
The commander dismissed the Burkinabè government’s repeated displays of newly acquired military hardware.
He argued that weapons should demonstrate their effectiveness on the battlefield rather than through television broadcasts and social media.
According to Shaykh Abu Mahmud, the government’s emphasis on showcasing military equipment reflected a greater concern with public perception than military performance.
He further claimed that some of the equipment displayed by the authorities could eventually be captured by JNIM fighters during future operations.
Shaykh Abu Mahmud also challenged official claims that the government had regained control of most of Burkina Faso.
He argued that a government could only claim to have “regained” territory by acknowledging that it had previously lost it.
The authorities had exercised uncontested control over the country a decade ago, he said, whereas significant areas were now outside effective government control and armed operations continued daily.
He accused the government of using state-controlled media to shape public perceptions of the conflict and claimed that international institutions routinely accepted official accounts while ignoring JNIM’s perspective.
Appeal to journalists
The interview also included an appeal to journalists.
Shaykh Abu Mahmud accused sections of the media of routinely using labels such as “terrorists” and “criminals” because those terms were employed by JNIM’s opponents.
He argued that journalists claiming neutrality should either refer to groups by their chosen names or apply the terminology used by both sides equally.
Criticism of humanitarian organisations
Humanitarian organisations also came under criticism.
Shaykh Abu Mahmud alleged that the World Food Programme provided food and medical assistance to communities in government-controlled areas while failing to offer comparable support to civilians living in opposition-held territory.
He accused humanitarian organisations of underreporting civilian casualties allegedly caused by AES forces.
Civilians on either side had not chosen the conflict, he said, and humanitarian organisations had a responsibility to provide assistance without political discrimination.
Message to JNIM fighters
Shaykh Abu Mahmud concluded by urging JNIM fighters to remain steadfast and not be intimidated by the military strength of government forces.
He described hardship as a test capable of bringing believers closer to God while strengthening solidarity, compassion, prayer and reliance on faith.
The interview provides an insight into how JNIM seeks to frame its campaign.
Rather than presenting the conflict as an ethnic rebellion or a struggle for political power, the group portrays its operations as a religious and defensive campaign against governments it accuses of persecuting Muslims and marginalised communities.
It also presents itself as a protector of communities beyond state control, an advocate for civilians allegedly denied humanitarian assistance and an alternative source of security in areas where it argues the state has failed.
