Bloomberg: Niger Says Conflict in Libya Biggest Threat to West Africa
* Defense spending to rise to 10% of budget for next 5 years
* Landlocked Niger wedged between Libya, Nigeria, Mali, Chad
Niger says an unstable Libya is a bigger threat for countries in West Africa’s Sahel region than the Boko Haram Islamist militant group, which is close to being defeated.
The government of the landlocked West African nation will spend 10 percent of its annual budget on defense through the next five years to protect itself from militants, Interior Minister Hassoumi Massaoudou said in an interview on Wednesday in the capital, Niamey. The world’s fourth-largest producer of uranium shares borders with seven nations including Libya, where Islamic State has gained a foothold amid a power vacuum caused by a breakdown in central authority.
“As long as Libya isn’t stabilized, it’s obvious that there will be a permanent threat throughout the Sahel,” Massaoudou said. “Boko Haram is the immediate threat we deal with everyday. But the long-term threat, the main one for the region is Libya, because all the other threats at the border with Mali or with Nigeria are fueled by Libya.”
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WNU Editor: While Boko Haram has had some gains .... their growth and support has been limited. As for the conflict in Libya .... the Islamic State is not only a formidable force, but what is worrying to everyone is that it continues to grow .... Islamic State Numbers Go Down in Iraq, Syria; up in Libya (AP).
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