Thread by @VincentFoucher

0. OK, so now I have a readout on the video by Bakura Sahalaba of #JASDJ I discussed earlier today... This is thread time... and then I have a Moscow Mule to close the day.

1. Bakura Sahalaba begins by saying that Islam did not die after the death of Muhammad - a good way to say Shekau's way maintains even after his death.

2. While he never mentions Shekau's name, he mentions his title ("imam"), saying notably that the imam did not leave behind girls/women behind, but men who will defend the religion - an admission of Shekau's death... (no brownie points for gender awareness here)

3. He addresses the question of the prestigious lineage of ISWAP's leader, Abu Musab al Barnawi aka Habib Yusuf, which must be a nagging question for he is the son of Mohamed Yusuf, Boko Haram's founder.

4. Bakura Sahalaba mentions an episode contrasting the prophet Noah with his disobedient son, basically meaning that no respect is owed to a son just because of his father.

5. He also compares Abu Musab to Pharaoh and Shekau to Moses - Pharaoh is scared of Moses and tries to have him killed.

6. But in what is really the most fascinating bit in this, Bakura Sahalaba insists that his group trusts in the Islamic State, is aware that the Islamic State wants unity in jihad and is ready to pledge. But he notes they expect an honest and transparent process.

7. It's not clear to me what he means exactly. But that the Islamic State remains so legitimate in the eyes of all (or at least that all feel obliged to acknowledge its legitimacy) is fascinating. Shekau in his final audio had reiterated his loyalty too.

8. Which makes me go back to the early days of the split. I was told that after the brutal initial combats between ISWAP and JASDJ near Chikungudua in 2016, the IS intervened to impose a ceasefire between the two factions. And indeed, ISWAP did not attack Shekau.

9. There is an audio by Mamman Nur probably dated some time between May and August 2016 which is extremely brutal, calling for the extermination of Shekau and his supporters as khawarij... But ISWAP never went after JASDJ.

10. As for JASDJ, its raiders attacked civilians in ISWAP land (ISWAP tried to fight them off then). But by and large, I don't think there were lots of direct JASDJ assaults against ISWAP after the IS intervention (until the attack by Bakura after Shekau's death).

11. Of course, it's not easy to be sure. A lot that happens in the bush is never reported. Still, I am tempted to think that the authority of the IS, even on Shekau, played a real part in discouraging all-out battles between the two groups.

12. Perhaps I am forgetting the most important point: the whole vid is in Arabic, which is quite rare (the spate of recent audios by Shekau & Habib were all in Kanuri and Hausa, for instance). So that really confirms that the primary intended audience is the Islamic State...

13. The Islamic State matters to these guys, somehow.