Answer:
They wanted to control oil supplies and trade routes in the region, is the correct answer.
North Africa consists of Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Western Sahara, and Egypt. During the second world was this region was the bone of contention between the Allies and the Axis powers. The major reason for the importance of this area was the Suez Canal and Middle Eastern Oil Resources. Due to its Geo-strategic location, the Suez canal was important for the movements of the ships between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean sea. Before the war, France and Britain controlled this region as most of the north African countries were their colonies. But with the war, the Axis powers started to launch campaigns to control these areas. e.g Italy's invasion of Ethiopia(1936) was a threat to the Allied powers supplies, oil fields and control over Egypt.
