Events on the ground in northern Mali and in Kismayo in Somalia are gathering apace. This applies to the al-Shabaab (al-Shabab) leaving their last major stronghold in Kismayo after coming under attack from African Union forces in Somalia. At the same time, international Sunni Islamists from various West African countries are joining the fray in northern Mali. The second trend in northern Mali is extremely worrying because while the exact figures are not known, it highlights a worrying reality that Islamists are now recruiting and spreading their ideology throughout West Africa. Already, you have a brutal Sunni Islamists insurgency in northern Nigeria which kills Christians and mainstream Muslims indiscriminately. Therefore, it would appear that new jihadist networks are bent on spreading their hatred to other parts of West Africa. Indigenous Islam in Mali is now facing a dangerous ideology which emanates from the despotic monarchy states which are based in the Gulf region. Therefore, the rich heritage of black African Islam in this country is under threat from Salafi induced “year zero Islam.” The result of this is that many Sufi shrines have been attacked just like in Libya. Mainstream Muslims fear that their way of life is now being threatened by “an ideological Islam” which is being exported from the Gulf. It is noticeable that international jihadists can enter conflicts easily and clearly with all the new safety mechanism being installed after September 11, then this raises many serious questions. Passport controls may have rendered the flowing nature of Islamists from West Africa to northern Mali being useless based on geography and other features. However, how come that you have reports stating that nationals from Pakistan have entered Syria and northern Mali so easily. Likewise, many British Islamists appear to be able to come and go when they like in order to kill and obtain new jihadist techniques in Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria. Clearly something is amiss and this doesn’t just apply to passport controls and this reality also happened in Bosnia. In Somalia the al-Shabaab stronghold in Kismayo appears to have fallen too quickly to African Union forces. The main troops involved in this operation came from the armed forces of Kenya and the Somali National Army. However, it is debatable if the latest setback will impact on the fighting capability of al-Shabaab in the short-term. Despite this, it is clear that economic issues will impact in the long-term if no major counter-attack happens by al-Shabaab. Therefore, the current situation remains murky and various different militias may also vie for power in Kismayo. John Campbell, Council on Foreign Relations, comments that “Mali had been democratic in form, but its governance was dominated by weak elite patronage networks facilitating personal enrichment but not social or economic development. The system especially short-changed the Tuareg-dominated north, where there has long been a low-level secessionist insurgency. After Muammar al-Qaddafi’s fall in 2011, access to uncontrolled Libyan weapons transformed that insurgency into a well-armed rebellion that the Bamako government of President Amadou Toure could not contain. The Tuaregs, led by the NMLA, loosely allied with radical Islamic groups, including Ansar Dine, expelled the Malian forces from the north, and proclaimed the independence of a new state, Azawad.” What is striking about the above made comment is that clearly the Libyan crisis created a new phase for al-Qaeda and various different Islamist terrorist networks. This applies to the easy access of weapons and the ongoing chaos which is continuing in Libya because of weak central structures. Once more, outside nations have created new instabilities. Also, with major political issues internally inside of Mali then three powerful vacuums have been opened up. This applies to the easy access of weapons generated by the Libyan crisis, no real central structures controlling Libya and a major political power struggle within Mali itself. It is worrying that jihadists are entering northern Mali from nations which include Benin, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. This West African angle is clearly a growing phase whereby Islamists want to spread their ideological version of Islam and supplant indigenous African Islam. Clearly, existing power bases within Mali Islam are worried about this new foreign incursion because a new “clash of civilization” is occurring within Islam in this nation. This can be seen in Nigeria and likewise in Libya many Sufi shrines have been attacked and destroyed by Islamists. In Somalia it is clear that Gulf Islamism and radical Sunni Islamist forces from Yemen have altered the Islamic landscape in this country. This fact means that major ratlines throughout the Gulf are intent on destroying the rich mosaic of Islam which is open and dynamic. Indeed, “the real civilization war” is happening within the Islamic faith itself because of vast amounts of money being spent on exporting Salafist ideology and other areas related to ideological Islam. It is important that indigenous Islam is supported against this brutal “year zero Islamism” which seeks an Islamic monoculture. International jihadists have also entered northern Mali from the usual nations like Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Pakistan. Syria faces the same threat but this time because nations like American, France and the United Kingdom are supporting the spread of Islamic terrorism by working hand-in-hand with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. It is also reported that jihadists in northern Mali from nations in West Africa are not concerned about which faction they fall under. For example, these jihadists care little about joining Ansar Dine (Defenders of the Faith), Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb or Movement for Oneness and Jihad. This implies that the jihadists from West Africa are not blighted by internal divisions but clearly their approach to Islam is schizophrenic. After all, they are joining a movement which desires to crush indigenous black African Islam on behalf of Islamist ideology being spread from the Gulf. Turning back to al-Shabaab and the fall of Kismayo in Somalia then the situation still remains cloudy. Rashid Abdi, Kenya’s Nation Media Group, comments that “This is not an indication of al Shabaab having abandoned armed struggle and there is no evidence they are keen on surrendering. They will continue to be a great nuisance for a very long time.” Clearly events on the ground in Mali and Somalia are changing quickly and both nations which are currently “failed states” need “genuine international support.” However, if the ratlines from the Gulf aren’t cut alongside Western meddling which often unleashes new dangerous forces, then nothing will change. Therefore, it is essential that African nations utilize the structures available in order to tackle many regional issues. http://www.cfr.org/mali/addressing-imploding-mali/p28781 leejay@moderntokyotimes.com http://moderntokyotimes.com