In questo nuovo mondo orwelliano post 9/11 (guerra continua),dopo il conflitto in Lybia, la destabilizzazione del Sahel (la fascia subsahariana) è aumentata più di quanto non fosse già accaduto.
L'aumento degli attacchi terroristici è decuplicato, dai 21 del 2001 ai 230 del 2013.
Che si tratti di Al-Qaida nel Maghreb (AQIM), Boko Haram, Ansaru, Ansar Dine, Ansar Al-Sharia, Il movimento per la Jihad nell'Africa Occidentale (MUJAO), Al-Mourabitoun, il movimento nazionale per la liberazione di Azawad (MLNA), Al-Shabaab o i militanti dei campi di rifugio Polisario, la minaccia non è mai stata così reale e vicina, soprattutto per l'Europa.
Diamo uno sguardo alla situazione, Paese per Paese partendo proprio dall Libia:
In 2012, numerous political, religious, and tribal militias emerged in the power vacuum contesting the new Libyan government.
These militias are being enabled by small arms as well as sophisticated weapons such as portable surface to air anti-aircraft missiles looted from Gaddafi’s armories during and after the revolution.
Clearly one of the most devastating terrorist attacks mounted by Al-Qaida affiliates against U.S. interests took place on September 11, 2012 when the American Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other State Department officials were brutally murdered in Benghazi at the U.S. diplomatic mission.
This single act of violence is emblematic of the lawlessness and fragmentation of the country. In 2013, a total of 145 major terrorist attacks were recorded, including kidnappings, assassinations, bombings, and direct assaults on government facilities and personnel.
Clashes also were reported among different armed groups. In addition, government officials, police, security officers, and the military were frequently targeted. Ordinary citizens were also victimized as well as foreign workers and diplomats.
The violence will continue in 2014 as the battle over the country’ governance, balance of power among competing groups, and control of Libya’s oil fields intensifies. For example, The Council of Cyrenaica has already mapped out an autonomy plan for the eastern region, thereby threatening further destabilization.
Meanwhile, militant groups such as Ansar Al-Sharia are continuing to infiltrate, destabilize, and organize, waiting in the wings to turn Libya into the “Land of Jihad” with dire consequences for neighboring countries.