The coup in Mali shows that after-effects of the Libya attack are still reverberating. Inside were not just infantry rifles but heavy machine guns, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, all-terrain vehicles, and other weapons systems that had not been widely seen in North Africa. Arms dealers acquired large troves and sold them to militant gangs across North Africa. Weaponry that flooded out of Qadaffi’s arsenal has decisively changed security calculations in North Africa. Obama has described his failure to anticipate the after-effects of bombing Libya as his “biggest mistake.” Many people in North Africa would agree.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 03, 2020 06:56 UTC