‘Race to the border’ as Islamic State and JNIM conflict in Niger

For the primary time, the Islamic State Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM have clashed in West Africa’s Niger. Whereas earlier confrontations between the 2 jihadist teams had taken place within the tri-border space with Mali and Burkina Faso, they’re now spreading towards a brand new border area between Niger, Nigeria, and Benin, in what France 24’s Wassim Nasr describes as a “race to the border” as the 2 teams vie for assets and recruits.