Nowhere is this clearer than in North and West Africa. Weak states in North and West Africa offer ISIS and other militant groups a haven to recruit and train fighters, access weapons and funding and plan operations. The Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) is reportedly attempting to win over locals in the area as it seeks to push into north-eastern Nigeria and Niger. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb had maintained stronger ties than ISIS to smuggling networks through West and North Africa. This could strengthen ties between its fighters in West and North Africa.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 05, 2018 17:03 UTC