Is Le Mouvement des Nigeriens pour la Justice ( MNJ ) Getting Al Qaeda Resources?

The MNJ uprising in Niger, North Africa has a marketing scheme underway that is sophisticated, multi-dimensional, and has European connections. The government's main response is to ban cigarettes, displaying a breath taking lack of awareness that the MNJ's funding has evolved from just Sahara cigarette smuggling, to al-Qaeda-like criminality, including sophsitacted weapons and kidnapping.


First, The MNJ's propoganda tools keep getting better.

Seven months ago youtube got a new user envouaturesimone who seems to be close to the MNJ leadership, and has produced two low quality videos which champion the MNJ cause. This Month, al Jazeera sent a team in and has done several reports, including Niger's Nomand Army, and several others by other news groups.

Perhaps it is coincidetal that all this new video coverage has hit the web since the MNJ web set added three European Based "leaders" Issouf MAHA, who claims to be Chargé de la Communication Cellule Politique MNJ en Europe (Communication for political cells in Europe), Ahmed AKOLI, claiming to be Secrétaire Général Cellule Politique MNJ en Europe, (Seceretary General for political cells), and Ghissa FELTOU, who claims to be Coordinateur Cellule Politique MNJ en Europe, Coordinator of political cells).


Second, Their Weapons keep getting better.

The MNJ recently claim to have new anti-tank missiles that look suspiciously like the missils sold to Libya by France in an oild deal a cuple of months ago. Though It is likely these were bought from a corrupt Libyan official, it suggests that funding sources for the MNJ have become more diverse.

The Libyan connection casues me wonder if the MNJ are connected to the The Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad (MDJT)the group that has held American Aid Worker Steve Godbold since September, 2007.

The MNJ has recently announced a new offensive, and claimed to have "downed" two Russian made government MI-24 Attack Helicopters.

Finally, This is the same pattern that AQIM followed before they became the al-Qaeda franchise in the Magreb region of the Western Sahara Desert.


What ever the reason, The situation put's France's primary Uranium source (nuclear power) at risk.

-Shimron