An kafa ƙungiyar Ansar al-Dine (AAD) a ƙarshen shekarar 2011. Bayan juyin mulki na watan Maris ɗin 2012 da ya hamɓarar da gwamnatin Mali, AAD na cikin ƙungiyoyin da suka ƙwace arewacin Mali, suka lalata wuarren tarihi na hukumar UNESCO, sannan suka saka shari’ar Musulunci mai tsauri a wuraren da suke mulki. A 2017, AAD ta haɗe da Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), wata sabuwar ƙungiya mai ƙawance da al-Ka’ida.
A ranar 22 ga watan Maris na 2013, Ma’aikatar Harkokin Wajen Amurka ta ayyana AAD a matsayin Ƙungiyar Ta’addanci ta Ƙasar Waje ƙarƙashin sashe na 219 na Dokar Ƙaura da Zama Ɗan Ƙasa, wadda aka yi wa kwaskwarima. Kafin haka, a ranar 21 ga watan Maris na 2013 Ma’aikatar Harkokin Wajen Amurka ta ayyana AAD matsayin Ƙungiyar Ta’addanci ta Duniya bisa Umarnin Shugaban Ƙasa na Executive Order 13224, wanda aka yi wa kwaskwarima Sakamakon haka, an hana ADD taɓa dukkan dukiyar da ta mallaka ko kadarori da ke ƙarƙashin ikon Amurka, sannan an haramta wa Amurkawa yin duk wata hulɗar kasuwanci da AAD Laifi ne mutum ya samar ko ya yi yunƙurin samarwa ko ya taimaka a samar wa AAD kayan aiki.
