Mali: New video release by AQIM’s Al-Andalus Media –‘Traitors 2’

The second captive in the recording, Housseyne Ould Badi was “interviewed” by AQIM’s Shariah judge Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sanhaji, the captive detailed how he provided intel on locations to the French forces on arms and ammunition caches containing rockets (RPG and SPG), and also locations where the “Mujahideen” were present. Further, he admitted providing the Mauritanians with information about those he knew within the ranks of the “Mujahideen”, both regarding those who were in Libya or had returned, and those present in Azawad (Northern Mali). Both captives told that they received money and other things in exchange for their services.

The speaker in the video stated that the information provided by the “traitors” or “spies” has caused direct deaths within the ranks of the “Mujahideen”. Throughout the video is reference made to the late senior Al-Qaeda official and ideologue Abu Yahya al-Libi on the subject matter. The captives in an act of repentance (forced or not) strongly discourage others from doing their mistakes by collaborating or sharing information, since it is useless as stated by Ould Badi. AQIM’s Sharia Court sentenced the two to death for treason and spying, and executed them in front of a crowd of around hundred people in a small unidentified village. The two captives were executed by gunshots with the executions filmed and featured in the video, although with strong blurring effect in contrast to videos by the ‘Islamic State’.

Interestingly, some observers and analysts put emphasis on the similarities with ISIS videos, despite the fact previously highlighted regarding the strong blurring effect applied to the execution sequences. Furthermore, the video is by comparison to the December 2015 release less brutal and far more censored, hence, subtly indicating a strategy in the opposite direction, and in strong contrast to the bloody and brutal scenes displayed in ‘Islamic State’ media. Additionally, any link to the accession of al-Sahrawi’s faction of al-Murabitin to the ‘Islamic State’ is neither evident nor articulated in any sense. In an interview in January with the Mauritanian news outlet Alakhbar, Yahya Abu al-Hammam, the ‘Emir’ of AQIM’s Sahara Emirate stated regarding their relationship to Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi and his men, “..Our relationship is normal connecting us to them through relations and contacts”, only on a general level did he address the ideological schism between Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, hence, seemingly irrelevant within the context of the jihadist scene in Mali and border zones of neighbouring countries. Quickly making conclusions and drawing comparisons to ISIS videos without looking at some basic, but nevertheless important facts constitute a limited and short-sighted analysis.

 

The video ends by showing Daou Ould H’med a 34 year-old recruited by Mauritanian intelligence in a refugee camp in Mauritania. He was according to what was portrayed in the video forgiven, since he turned himself in together with the performance of ‘tawba’, the act of repentance.

The video’s main aim is to deter locals from collaborating with military forces opposing the “Mujahideen”, a local population that constitutes a crucial component for the jihadist project in Northern Mali, or what is referred to as Azawad. A local population that AQIM is highly dependent on, and with which it has built connections since the beginning of the 21th century, a relationship it has managed to maintain. AQIM attempts to balance between rewards and punishments in accordance with Shariah law, and also portrays itself as a fair judge laying emphasis on the “careless” acts of the captives, who prioritized material wealth in disfavor of “morals and loyalty to their people”.