Foreign fighters and their return – measures taken by North African countries

While a great deal of Western attention has been focused on European and American citizens leaving their countries to fight in Syria/Iraq, the conflicts in Syria and Iraq have inspired many more individuals from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to become foreign fighters (FFs). Indeed, the MENA region is the major source of FFs in Syria/Iraq, who for the most part join the so-called Islamic State (IS) or “Jabhat al-Nusra” (an offshoot of Al-Qaeda in Iraq). With regards to the North Africa, on which this report is focused, evidence of the threat posed by returning FFs is nascent, yet tangible. There are signs that some FFs returning to their home countries are joining Salafist jihadi groups on their return and, in some cases, are actively engaged in recruiting individuals to fight in Syria/Iraq and/or facilitating their travel to the respective conflict zones. Many countries in North Africa did not initially adopt specific measures to prevent their nationals from leaving to fight in the Syrian conflict and, in some cases, even tacitly approved of their citizens going to Syria to fight against the Assad regime. However, concerns about their citizens going to Syria and Iraq to fight have since mounted. Only as “veterans” from Syria/Iraq began to return home, did most North African states take measures to address the challenges posed by FFs. Algeria appears to have been the exception, having already adopted measures to prevent its citizens from fighting in foreign conflicts. At the other end of the spectrum, the deterioration of the security and political situation in Libya has meant that the internationally recognized Libyan government has lacked the capacity significantly address the phenomenon of FFs. Moreover, since mid-2014, relevant capacity building assistance to Libya has been largely on hold.