A former commander in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, he was later part of the group that founded the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa in October 2011. While part of MUJWA/MUJAO, he was one of its most senior leaders, serving on its shura council and communicating with international media as MUJWA's spokesman. By 2013, he was calling himself the leader of an organisation named the Mujahideen Shura Council in Gao, Mali.