Ansar Dine, AQIM's Saharan emirate, al-Mourabitoun and Katiba Macina merge into Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin under Iyad Ag Ghaly, pledging allegiance to al-Qaeda.
Conflict coverage · Central Sahel
Formation of JNIM
Explore the system13 analytical layers in this conflict
Understand
Military & security
Effects & resilience
Follow
Why it mattersThe merger unified command, propaganda and finance across the jihadist field — creating the organisation that now pressures every region of Mali and much of the wider Sahel.
Confidence: HighSources: Established historical record · International Crisis GroupMethodologyCorrections
Related structure
2 records that this event names, or that name it. Every one is an explicit reference in a published record — nothing here is inferred from subject matter.
Where this fits
This is one entry in the Sahel timeline. The full Key Events surface carries every dated turning point with its filters and its essential subset, and this event in place shows what came before and after it. How Vigil grades, dates and sources its claims is set out in the methodology.