The Next Steps of North Africa’s Foreign Fighters

Abstract

This CSS analysis looks at how North African foreign fighters who flocked to Syria and Iraq, as well as the so-called Islamic State’s (IS) regional provinces, are now returning to their home countries. It addresses 1) the threat these returnees pose to regional security, including how they could boost national and regional jihadi networks; 2) the inadequacies of North African countries’ policy responses to this threat, such as the lack of de-radicalization and reintegration programs; and 3) what Europe can do to support these countries’ efforts to deal with returnees.