Since the end of the Cold War era, a more complex global security environment has led to a proliferation of so-called 'ungoverned spaces' in Africa, in which Violent Non State Actors and unregulated private military and security companies have emerged as powerful and persistent forces.

This book shines a light on the inevitable political, economic, and security dilemmas that have resulted, analysing the conditions which have led to the flourishing of terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda in Magreb (AQIM), Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP) - the combined effect of which threatens the destabilization of the post-colonial African security architecture.