Nigeria on the Atlantic and Libya on the Mediterranean, the two largest oil producers in Africa, are facing the two
most violent terrorist groups on the continent. The Libyan version of Daesh and Boko Haram seem to be gaining ground to join in an area formed by three states that are vulnerable to the spread of terrorism. In Cameroon, the chaos is a concern post-Biya. Battle fatigue may reach the Chadian state that has been involved in an all-out battle. Niger, which is limited by both a lack of resources and a porous border, is also vulnerable. These are all factors that
call for international mobilization to ensure that the tradeoff of undoing Daesh in the Middle East does not result in
Daesh taking over the area between the Maghreb and West Africa, linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The
threat is all the more real now as this area is adjacent to Mali and Burkina Faso, two countries where terrorist groups,
which were scattered during the operation Serval, seem to be reorganizing – as evidenced by the attacks perpetrated
recently against the hotels in Bamako and Ouagadougou. [This document is also available in French titled : De la Méditerranée à l’Atlantique : le couloir de vulnérabilité face au terrorisme.]
