Al Qaeda Saharan branch leader announces new Jihad phase against juntas

The leader of a Al Qaeda group in the Sahel region, Iyad Ag Ghaly, has published a video message online, speaking publicly for the first time since 2017. According to the militant organisation leader, a new phase of Jihad against the junta in the Sahel region has started for the group, FRANCE 24’s terrorism expert Wassim Nasr said. Ghaly underlined his group’s focus on fighting Russian mercenaries and local armies in Mali and Burkina Faso, Nasr said.