The Macina Liberation Front

The Macina Liberation Front, known best by its French acronym FLM, is a Salfi-Jihadist militant group in central Mali that was founded in January 2015. The group’s leader, Amadou Kouffa, is a mentee of Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of Ansar Dine. The FLM was allegedly created to be an affiliate to Ansar Dine for coordination of its operations in central and southern Mali. The majority of FLM forces come from the ethnic Fulani group. The number of fighters in the FLM is estimated to be as low as a few hundred and as high as 4,000. Since its formation, the FLM has raided villages, destroyed mausoleums, attacked small towns, used car bombs and targeted civilians, UN workers, politicians and the Malian military. Ansar Dine provides the group with cash, guns and allegedly with instructions and objectives. Additionally, the FLM is a known ally of Al Murabitoun.