 After years of striking mostly local targets, militant groups have emerged from the Sahara desert to become a strategic threat to all of North Africa. The resurgence of al-Qaeda in affiliated groups comes at a time when some regional governments are weaker than ever in the aftermath of the Arab Awakening. The organization and its affiliates will likely shape regional security in the years to come. The region where militants operate in and around the Sahara is huge, roughly the size of the United States, with about one-third the population, most living along the coast. This region sits at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and is rich in natural resources. The countries here share several traits that make extremism a common challenge. They're young. One-third of North Africa's population is between the ages of 15 and 30, and many of them are jobless and marginalized. They're mostly underdeveloped, with poor records on health, education, and income. Militants and militants work together, trafficking in drugs, weapons, and subsidized goods, while governments and armies often turn a blind eye. Cigarette smuggling alone is a billion-dollar-a-year enterprise. Finally, every country in the region is enmeshed in internal ethnic conflicts or political upheaval. In such an environment, joining militant groups can provide a way forward for young men with few prospects. And there are dozens of such groups that call this area home. Many of them are loosely affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, which evolved from violent groups operating during Algeria's civil war in the 1990s. New groups have also emerged, such as Ansar Algeria, and the movement for unity in Jihad, or Mujal. They're all driven by a combination of money, power, and ideology. The Arab Awakening has empowered them in three interconnected ways. First, governments that suppressed Islamists for decades fell. In Libyan Tunisia, puritanical Muslims, known as Salafis, have destroyed dozens of shrines dedicated to popular saints. Individual anti-groups intimidate their opponents. Second, many of the new governments are weak. Libya's government, for example, barely controls its territory. There are over a thousand armed militias in the country, and the government relies on dozens of independent militias to provide security at border posts and government buildings. Thousands of former prisoners from Libyan Tunisia and weapons from Qaddafi's regime flooded the streets, most are unaccounted for. Third, extremist groups are exploiting local grievances and conflicts throughout the region. Governments new and old have redoubled their efforts to improve the lives of their citizens, but their politics are polarized and their economies are ailing. These problems are interconnected, spreading, and threaten every country in the region. Understanding what motivates different groups and separating local grievances from global causes can undermine extremists. Governments can help delegitimize armed groups through education, religious outreach, and de-radicalization programs. Greater cooperation among local governments is also crucial to combating transnational militant activities. The stakes could not be higher for countries across the region. Ultimately, a creative and evolving threat requires a creative and evolving response. The CSIS-Middle East Program's Maghreb in Transition Project analyzes political, economic, and security trends in the region and their impact on U.S. interests.