The regional balance of power and the overall political situation in the Sahel region has undergone radical changes since the Arab Spring. The February Revolution in Libya, which led to the overthrow and death of Libyan leader, Muammar al-Gaddafi in October 2011, created a power vacuum that contributed to the spread of extremist groups in the Western Sahel that threatens stability in the region. Gaddafi’s violent removal, after 42 years in power, empowered the Tuareg separatist movement in Mali. Moreover, ethnic Tuareg soldiers who had been part of the Libyan army returned to Mali. Salafi-jihadis joined in, playing an important role in the 2012 Tuareg uprising in Mali which eventually led to the capture of Timbuktu, Gao, and Kidal. The Salafi-jihadis were ultimately defeated, and the Islamic Emirate of Azawad split.
The Sahel region entered into a deep multidimensional crisis after the eruption of the Malian conflict in 2012. Violent groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have spread from Central Mali to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, while Boko Haram has made incursions into Southern Niger from Nigeria. Despite the military presence of Western countries in the region, the threat of international terrorism continues to increase. The weight of regional instability that has spread in recent years to Mali, Niger, northern Nigeria, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, and even Benin has necessitated a deep analysis of the causes and consequences of the current crisis in the region. Particular attention, in this context, is the effectiveness of the strategies of extra-regional players in the field of security, key of which is the collective West – which includes the United States and France. Given the above, a pertinent question that deserves an answer is: is there a possible military and political solution to insecurity in the Sahel following the unsuccessful counter-terrorism operations by the collective West?