Lehbib Ould Ali Ould Said Ould Joumani (1973-2021), also known as Adnane Abou Walid al-Sahrawi, was a Sahrawi Islamist who served as the head of the Islamic State in the Sahel region of North Africa.
Biography[]
Lehbib Ould Ali Ould Said Ould Joumani was born in Laayoune, Western Sahara, Spain in 1973, and he witnessed the war between the Polisario Front and Morocco as a child. He fought alongside the Polisario Front before joining the jihadists, becoming a spokesperson for MOJWA under the nom de guerre of "Adnane Abou Walid al-Sahrawi". In 2015, al-Sahrawi swore his allegiance to the Islamic State, and IS acknowledged his pledge of allegiance on 30 October 2016. On 4 October 2017, his militants ambushed Nigerien and US Army troops in Tongo Tongo, Niger, killing 5 Nigerien troops and 4 US troops with 21 losses. The attack in Niger drew US attention to West Africa, which they feared could beocme a breeding ground for a continued IS insurgency. On October 4, 2019 the United States offered a 5 million $ reward on his whereabouts. On 17 August 2021, he was assassinated in Mali by French forces.