google scholar https://academic.oup.com/fpa/article-abstract/14/1/1/2625523... is one such example or https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03066150.2018.1... 'Why do pastoralists in Mali join jihadist groups? A political ecological explanation' on the right side dozens more articles about the political and economic state of Mali and surrounding areas

type those doi numbers into sci-hub to read them, also this is the 'real' economist: https://academic.oup.com/ej like their study on mandatory conscription and criminal behavior afterwards https://academic.oup.com/ej/article/129/622/2522/5490322?sea... when released from the military these groups find no upwards mobility, so use their skills for crime.