AQIM: The Devolution of al Qaeda's North African Node

In April, militants with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) kidnapped a 78-year-old French citizen in Mali. Three months later, after supporting a Mauritanian military offensive against AQIM and later learning the hostage had been killed, the French government declared war on the group. AQIM has reached violently into the Sahara-Sahel region, but more recent developments point to the group's steady devolution since its founding in 2006. Four years hence, we thought it time to assess the current state of al Qaeda's North African node, which has been forced to strike softer targets closer to its Algerian base while its sub-commanders to the south grow competitive and autonomous.