Kamissa Camara, Middle East Institute:
Over the past two years, the steady expansion of terrorist and fundamentalist threats in the Sahel has not gotten the attention it deserves given the region’s repeated military coups and political turmoil. Due to the apparent contagion effect of military coups, the political instability in the Sahel has resulted in a regional and international focus on electoral timetables and constitutional rule while overlooking the rise of terrorist groups, which continue to gain ground and menace the very existence of Sahel countries.
As the region’s closest neighbor and a country whose security depends on that of the Sahel, Algeria has been missing in action. Long hailed as a critical actor for peace and stability in the region, Algeria has been noticeably much less engaged across the Sahel, especially under its new military leadership, in the post-coup period. As a result, its visibility and influence as an essential player have slowly faded. Yet Algeria’s regional diplomatic clout, military might, and experience in fighting terrorism could help Sahelian states ward off an imminent political and security collapse. Here are four reasons why.
