Jihad in the Sahel is “glocal” and must be understood as the result of interactions between dynamics at the local level and on a more global scale. Far from representing a homogeneous movement of religious essence, Sahelian jihad results from the agglomeration of local sources of insurgency built on social, political or economic fractures - sometimes very old and which have crystalized. With the expansion of jihadist groups in the central and southern Sahel - far from their historical bases - this religious dimension is likely to be even less perceptible in the future. It will give way to hybrid forms of violence where self-defense, rebellion and jihadism feed off each other. However, the response provided by both States and their international partners seems to be out of step with this reality. They advocate a purely military response to a largely political phenomenon. In the absence of a political response, the insurgents are being pushed into a genuine radicalization.