Bangladesh, Oct. 20 -- Once viewed as a troubled post-revolutionary state on the Mediterraneans edge, Libya has now evolved into something far more dangerous: a global hub for organized crime. The countrys prolonged political disintegration has transformed it into the central artery connecting Africas sprawling criminal economies to European shores. From arms trafficking and human trafficking to gold and cocaine routes stretching deep into the Sahel, Libya today stands at the heart of a shadowy transnational enterprise that is quietly reshaping the security landscape across two continents.

The Sahel – stretching across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad – has long been associated with conflict and humanitarian disaster. Yet,...