Overview

Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Mainuki is a U.S.-designated ISIS senior leader. Based in the Sahel, al-Mainuki is a leading official in the Lake Chad division of ISIS’s General Directorate of Provinces (GDP) offices. Due to al-Mainuki’s position within ISIS, the U.S. Department of State designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on June 8, 2023.“Terrorist Designation of ISIS General Directorate of Provinces Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, June 8, 2023, https://www.state.gov/terrorist-designation-of-isis-general-directorate-of-provinces-leaders/.

Al-Mainuki has reportedly held a regional commander position within ISIS since the execution of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) leader Mamman Nur in 2018. Al-Mainuki was a primary rival to Nur, and as a leading figure in ISWAP, al-Mainuki has been described as a hardline militant.“ISWAP After Nur: Facing the Challenge of the Islamic State in West Africa Province,” International Crisis Group, May 16, 2019, https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep31388.9.pdf.

According to regional scholars, Al-Mainuki also had a troubled relationship with Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. At some point between March 2015 and early 2016, Shekau declined an ISIS request to send fighters to Libya. Instead, al-Mainuki—who was serving as ISWAP’s Lake Chad area commander—sent fighters instead. Al-Mainuki’s actions further deteriorated relations with Shekau as the Boko Haram leader resented those seeking a closer working relationship with ISIS.Vincent Foucher, “The Islamic State Franchises in Africa: Lessons from Lake Chad,” International Crisis Group, October 29, 2020, https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/nigeria/islamic-state-franchises-africa-lessons-lake-chad.

It is uncertain when al-Mainuki became senior leader of ISIS’s al-Furqan Office, one of ISIS’s most vigorous and best-established regional networks. The regional offices provide ISIS affiliates with operational guidance and international funding. The al-Furqan office covers Nigeria and its neighbors, as well as Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) affiliate in the western Sahel.“Letter dated 11 July 2022 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities addressed to the President of the Security Council,” United Nations Security Council, July 15, 2022, https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/S%202022%20547.pdf. Given al-Mainuki’s leadership role in ISIS, the U.S. Department of State designated al-Mainuki as a SDGT on June 8, 2023.“Terrorist Designation of ISIS General Directorate of Provinces Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, June 8, 2023, https://www.state.gov/terrorist-designation-of-isis-general-directorate-of-provinces-leaders/.