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Global Multidisciplinary Journal

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The Libyan Conflict and The Transnationalisation Of Terrorism in The Sahel Region

DOI https://doi.org/10.55640/gmj/Volume05Issue02-06
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Celestine Emeka Ekwuluo 1 ORCID iD , Adaeze Janice Erondu 1 , Gideon Ogonna Ibeakuzie 1 , Kennedy Oberhiri Obohwemu 1 ORCID iD , Oladipo Vincent Akinmade 1 ORCID iD , Oluwafemi Emmanuel Ooju 1 ORCID iD , Eddy Eidenehi Esezobor 1 ORCID iD , Festus Ituah 1 ORCID iD , Daniel Obande Haruna 1 ORCID iD , Solomon Atuman 1 , Jerry Soni 1 , Jennifer Adaeze Chukwu 1 ORCID iD , Abba Sadiq Usman 1 , Perpetual Ogechukwu Nwankwo 1 , Obioma Chidumaga Aririsukwu 1 ,
4 MIR,Department of Political Science, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria; and PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom
4 MIR,Department of Political Science, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria; and PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
4 MIR,Department of Political Science, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria; and PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
4 PhD,Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom
4 MPH,Digital Health and Rights Project (Center for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, CIM), University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom
4 MSc,World Health Organization, Abuja, Nigeria; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom
4 PhD,Department of Management Studies, Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), Murcia, Spain; and PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom
4 PhD,School of Health and Sports Science, Regent College, London, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom
4 MSc,Department of Psychology, St. Mary’s University, London, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom
4 MPH,FHI 360; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
4 MPH,United Nations World Food Programme, Damascus, Syria; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
4 PhD,World Health Organization, United Nations House, Abuja, Nigeria; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom
4 MScPH,Nutrition and Health Department, Action Against Hunger, Maiduguri Field Office, Nigeria; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
4 PhD,School of Public Health, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
4 MBBS,Department of Medicine, St. François Medical Center, Abuja, Nigeria; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research & Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Abstract

The collapse of state authority in Libya after the 2011 uprising has produced a chain of security consequences that continue to shape the wider Sahel. This paper examines how the Libyan conflict created conditions that encouraged the spread of terrorist activity across the region, with particular attention to arms proliferation, the movement of foreign fighters and the growth of ungoverned spaces that allow violent groups to operate with relative freedom. The study draws on a qualitative case study design supported by interview material from the wider research, which provides grounded insight into how Libya’s internal fragmentation became linked to regional insecurity rather than remaining a self‑contained crisis. Rather than treating Libya as an isolated arena of state collapse, the paper conceptualises it as a catalytic node within a wider ecosystem of fragile states, porous borders and historically marginalised communities.

The analysis is informed by state fragility theory and relative deprivation perspectives. These frameworks help explain how the breakdown of governance structures in Libya interacted with long‑standing political and economic pressures in neighbouring Sahelian states. The argument shows that Libya’s collapse intensified existing vulnerabilities in Mali, Niger and Chad, encouraged the circulation of weapons and fighters, and weakened already fragile border management systems. These developments strengthened the operational reach of armed groups and complicated national and regional attempts to respond to rising insecurity.

The paper contributes to regional security research through three main insights. It clarifies the pathways through which local state collapse can generate transnational terrorist dynamics. It demonstrates the value of analysing conflict spillover through a multi‑level lens that links domestic governance failures to regional patterns of violence. It also highlights the limitations of current security responses that treat Sahelian states as discrete units rather than parts of an interconnected security landscape. The study offers a grounded and theoretically informed account of how Libya’s post‑2011 crisis has reshaped security conditions across West and North Africa and points to the need for more coordinated and context‑sensitive regional strategies.

Keywords

Libyan conflict, transnational terrorism, Sahel region, state fragility

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How to Cite

Ekwuluo, C. E., Erondu, . . . A. J., Ibeakuzie, G. O., Obohwemu, K. O., Akinmade, O. V., Ooju, O. E., Esezobor, E. E., Ituah, F., Haruna, D. O., Atuman, S., Soni, J., Chukwu, J. A., Usman, A. S., Nwankwo, P. O., & Aririsukwu, O. C. (2026). The Libyan Conflict and The Transnationalisation Of Terrorism in The Sahel Region. Global Multidisciplinary Journal, 5(02), 47-60. https://doi.org/10.55640/gmj/Volume05Issue02-06

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