Leiden University Student Repository

Dory-Cros, Hugo (2023)

The Star Facing the Moon: Unpacking JNIM'S challenges to assert legitimacy in Burkina Faso

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

This research seeks to elucidate the unique position of Burkina Faso in West Africa, focusing on its ethnic, religious, and national narratives as pivotal in shaping the aspirations of the jihadist group, JNIM. The study investigates JNIM's efforts to attain legitimacy in Burkina Faso, exploring both its long-term strategy and its potential divergent ambition of purely military and economic control. Central to this investigation is a comparative analysis of three forms of legitimacy in Burkina Faso: local pre-established, the state, and JNIM. The research employs David Beetham's (1991) threefold model of legitimacy, introducing a novel methodological approach to studying jihadist insurgencies in West Africa.

Legitimacy

Burkina Faso

JNIM

Sahel

Terrorism

Author

Dory-Cros, Hugo

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Global Conflict in the Modern Era

Supervisors

Prof. Dr. Isabelle Duyvesteyn

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en