Introduction: Terrorism and Political Contention in North Africa and the Sahel Region

The sharp increase in terrorist activity in the Sahel after the Arab Spring led to serious destabilization, as well as the emergence of new and re-actualization of old conflicts in the region. A number of terrorist groups have emerged and/or intensified their activities, including ones associated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (AQIM, DNIM, ISGS, ISWAP, etc.). In a number of cases, full-scale Islamist insurgencies emerged and provoked increased external interference in the affairs of the region. In this introductory chapter, Besenyő et al. offer a preliminary description and analysis of terrorist activities and political contention in North Africa and the Sahel region in the recent years.