As jihadis gain control of more territory, looting is increasing and fueling conflict among already impoverished communities fighting to keep their families fed and alive, according to a recent report by The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.Despite a victory in 2013, when France sent troops in to help its former colony to drive al-Qaida-linked militants from northern areas of the country, violence has not only continued, but spread.
“Unlike other criminal markets , cattle rustling has proven to be a resilient and stable source of income for armed groups, because Mali is a key regional producer and exporter of cattle,” said Flore Berger, Sahel analyst at GI-TOC. “It’s likely that cattle rustling continues to provide sources of revenue because countries in the region will continue to buy from Mali,” she said.
“There are no animals within a 186-mile radius of the town of Menaka. ... The terrorists are trying to weaken the population economically, so the population does not fund a resistance,” he said. “We are aware that the money generated by the sale of stolen cattle is used to finance activities of the terrorists," Col. Abdoulaye Dembele, spokesman for the Malian army, told AP.
Yet despite the increase in cattle theft, conflict experts say it doesn’t compare to the highly profitable business of hostage taking. Still, the surge in cattle raiding unsettles some residents in the Sahel region more because it cuts into their ability to survive.