Radical Islam and Transnational Security in West Africa

The beginning of the 21st century saw the emergence of new global threats to transnational security in West Africa as a result of the spread of jihadist terrorism across borders. Extremist Islamic movements are prevalent in Northern Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Mali, and Chad, carrying out cross-border attacks assisted by open and porous borders and movement of illegal immigrants. This paper examines the effect of radical Islam on transnational security through a review of existing literature and the social and security consequences on the people of the affected regions. Our findings indicate that the activities of armed Islamic movements are having a negative impact on the economy and security of the states and people of West Africa. It stresses the importance of transnational cooperation as these threats to transnational security can no longer be solved in a national or regional framework.