CFA – West African CFA franc, the currency of eight independent states in West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

CRU – The Conflict Research Unit at the Netherlands Institute for Foreign Relations Clingendael

DDR – Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration

EUNPACK – A conflict-sensitive unpacking of the EU comprehensive approach to conflict and crises mechanism

EUTM – European Union Training Mission

FAMa – Forces armées et de sécurité du Mali (Malian armed security forces)

GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Corporation for International Cooperation)

JNIM – Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (Group for Support of Islam and Muslims)

MINUSMA – United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali

MLF – Macina Liberation Front

MUJAO – Mouvement pour l'unicité et le jihad en Afrique de l'Ouest (The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa)

PSIRC – Plan de sécurisation intégré des régions du centre (Integrated Security Plan for the Central Regions).