SUMMARY

The non-state conflict between the Dozos and the jihadi alliance JNIM was fought in the context of the intrastate conflict in Mali, which pitted the state against a number of islamist groups from 2012 onward. As the intrastate conflict progressed, pre-existing tensions between the pastoralist Fulani – associated with FLM, one of the constituent parts of JNIM – and the agricultural Dogon and Bambara communities increased in central Mali, eventually stoking ethnic violence. In the security vacuum that was central Mali, this, in turn, caused the different ethnic groups in the conflict-hit area to create self-defense militias. The Dozos (Mali) stemmed from traditional hunting communities mainly associated with the Bambara people, and to some extent also the Dogon. With the escalation of violence, these communities formalized and came to serve more as self-defense groups, taking on tasks such as manning check points and conducting operations against the jihadists.

Both groups soon became embroiled in tit-for-tat violence against the civilian population associated with their adversaries, with JNIM carrying out brutal attacks on Bambara- and Dogon villages, and Dozos becoming equally infamous for massacring Fulani civilians. At times, JNIM attacks on civilians was preceded by fighting with Dozos, with the latter attempting to provide security to large areas in central Mali. Other times, the two groups clashed unrelated to attacks on civilians.

The level of violence has fluctuated in the conflict. There was a dramatic peak in fighting in 2021, when a number of large-scale battles took place, causing over 200 fatalities. A bulk of that fighting took place in Mopti region’s Djenne cercle, where JNIM had a substantial presence. In some areas of the cercle, where the villages failed to bow to its pressure, the group enforced a blockade on the population centers, and some of the more devastating battles took place when the Dozos attempted to lift it. In other areas of Djenne, the population had reached local peace deals with the jihadists and lived under their laws, paying zakat. The attempt by some Dozos to take it back triggered some of the most deadly fighting of the year.

The conflict was mainly played out in central Mali’s Mopti and Segou regions, with a vast majority of the fighting taking place in the former’s Djenne cercle. However, there was also high levels of violence in the latter’s Macina and Niono cercles.

The non-state conflict between Dozos (Mali) and JNIM is first included in UCDP data in 2018. In early May of that year, clashes between the two groups had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.