Amadou Boucary, nom de guerre Djaffar Dicko and Yéro, is a Burkinabe jihadist who has served as the leader of Ansarul Islam since 2017.

Biography

Dicko was born as Amadou Boucary or Abdoul Salam Dicko in 1972 or 1980 in either Soboule or Pétéga,

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

and is the younger brother of Ansarul Islam founder Ibrahim Malam Dicko. He attended a Koranic school, and is reportedly very technology-savvy, and is addicted to online jihadist organizations and social media platforms. Dicko also had two wives and five children as of 2017. Dicko's first roles in Ansarul Islam was as the third-in-command of the group, carrying out executions. He was also close with Katiba Macina founder

Amadou Koufa The Macina Liberation Front (MLF, , also known as the Macina Liberation Movement or Katibat Macina) is a militant Islamist group that operates in Mali. It is an affiliate of Ansar Dine. Origins and membership In March 2012, the President of M ...

, and maintained ideological and operational links with Koufa. These contacts with Koufa led Dicko and his older brother to pledge allegiance to

Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

. Following the deaths of his brothers Ibrahim Malam and Mansour in May 2017, Dicko assumed command of Ansarul Islam. In negotiations with the Burkinabe government of

Roch Marc Christian Kaboré Roch Marc Christian Kaboré (; born 25 April 1957) is a Burkinabé banker and politician who served as the President of Burkina Faso from 2015 until he was deposed in 2022. He was the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso between 1994 and 1996 and Pre ...

in 2020, Dicko and Ansarul Islam received an undisclosed sum of money that allowed Dicko to expand Ansarul Islam's capabilities. Dicko also came in contact with

Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin Nusrat al-Islam, officially known as Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin' (, JNIM; , GSIM English language, English: ''Support Group for Islam and Muslims'') is a militant Jihadism, jihadist organisation in the Maghreb and West Africa formed b ...

leader

Iyad Ag Ghaly Iyad Ag Ghaly ( ar, اياد اغ غالي, sometimes romanised as Ag Ghali), also known as Abū al-Faḍl ( ar, أبو الفضل ), is a Tuareg militant from Mali's Kidal Region. He has been active in Tuareg rebellions against the Malian gove ...

, and Ghaly allegedly let Dicko's group remain independent of JNIM to diminish Koufa's prominence in JNIM. On April 1, 2023, the Burkinabe

junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...

claimed that Dicko had been killed in drone strikes against hundreds of Ansarul Islam and JNIM fighters in Djibo Department, Burkina Faso. The rumors of Dicko's death turned out to be untrue, although a large number of jihadists were killed. The United States government imposed sanctions on Dicko and JNIM second-in-command Sidane Ag Hitta on April 23, 2024, for the kidnapping of American nationals. Dicko has been described by Burkinabe security sources as brutal and not charismatic. During clashes with the

Islamic State in the Greater Sahara The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) is a terrorist group adhering to the ideology of Salafi Jihadism. IS-GS was formed on 15 May 2015 as the result of a split within the militant group Al-Mourabitoun. The rift was a reaction to the adh ...

in the past, Dicko had executed several ISGS commanders and enlisted the remaining fighters.

References

{{Reflist Living people People from Sahel Region Burkinabé Islamists Year of birth missing (living people)