An hour and a half. This is the time it took for the jihadists of the Islamic State in the Great Sahara to seize the Nigerien base of Inates, near the Malian border, on December 10, 2019. A rapid and violent attack, which killed more than 70 in the Nigerien army. Of this attack, like most jihadist coups in the Sahel, there are only images shot. and disseminated by the terrorists themselves, affiliated with Al-Qaida and ISIS.
Propaganda videos to the glory of the jihadists, which, once analyzed by The world and crossed with other images and satellite data, however, provide valuable information on the methods, weapons, but also the limits of these combatants. Vehicle bombs inspired by Daesh in Iraq, outfits copied from those of the United Nations peacekeepers, distribution of leaflets in the local language: these groups are multiplying the techniques to maintain or extend their areas of influence, which they also dispute among themselves.