The Libyan Security Continuum: The Impact of the Libyan Crisis on the North African/Sahelian Regional System

This paper analyses the impact of the Libyan crisis on the regional environment in North Africa/the Sahel. More specifically the paper shows that, despite international attempts to resolve the crisis, the situation remains very difficult in Libya with the persistence of instability and radical militancy and a dramatic increase in illegal trafficking, particularly human trafficking. In turn, this has dramatically affected the regional scene, especially due to the upsurge in jihadi activities as a result of Libya having been a “safe heaven” for jihadists since 2011, destabilizing Tunisia and the Sahel countries. Algeria, also fearing destabilization from Libya, has been heavily involved in the various initiatives to restore security in the country. However, overall divergent interests and regional competition have so far limited the impact of such initiatives.