SAMUEL BENSHIMON
The conflict that has torn Libya for months and was completed by the end of the Gaddafi regime, has exacerbated the security situation in the Sahel, already facing the activism of Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the increase in trafficking networks of all kinds. Much of these problems is related to return to their country of thousands of young people. The problem does not, however, with migrant workers or people who were regularly installed in Libya. The concern is driven more by the youth who participated in the fighting. The presence of large numbers of weapons from the arsenals of Gaddafi, increasing fears of a resurgence of the movement of dissent and confrontation with the regular forces in the countries of the region. The problem arises for Mali and Niger, but also for the Polisario, many elements of which have fought alongside Gaddafi. Many have returned to the Tindouf camps, headquarters of the movement fighting from Algerian territory for independence in the region of Western Sahara. Now, fears are great to see these young idlers attracted by activities become successful in the Sahel: the drug trade from the West Africa, organized crime and kidnappings of Westerners whose release against is big ransoms to terrorist groups to AQIM. The year 2011 has recorded the accident record of kidnappings of Europeans in the Sahel. The situation is so serious that the United Nations sent a mission in December 2011 in several countries in the region. The UN envoy noted the seriousness of the situation and evaluated the impact of conflict on Libyan different states in the region: Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania.
The UN, however, is aware of the limits of its means, merely calling for a boost of member states and international organizations to assist countries of the Sahel to fight against the threat of destabilization.
