Militant Islamic Groups with Islamic slogans and backgrounds have appeared in the Africa arena. In the wake of that, radical jihadist-oriented organizations have emerged and entered into confrontations with security authorities in a number of sub-Saharan African countries. The threats posed by these groups have grown and they have become a subject of public opinion and local and international media. Under these circumstances, many questions have been raised in this regard, such as:

• What is the true nature of these jihadist organizations? (their origination/frameworks of intellectual and philosophical formation).
• What is their organizational structure, and the nature of their foreign extensions and relations with Al-Qaeda?
• What are the factors behind the dramatic rise in terrorist activities perpetrated by these groups?
• What are the societal impacts of these organizations and developments on internal situation in West African countries?
• Are there any foreign parties that have played a role or contributed to the emergence of these groups?
• Is there any political exploitation of these organizations and their activities by some parties?

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