The Islamic State group poses rising threat in Africa despite progress, UN experts say

UNITED NATIONS — The Islamic State extremist group poses a growing threat amid political instability in West Africa and the Sahel and continues to plan attacks abroad, the UN counter-terrorism chief said on Thursday.

Vladimir Voronkov reiterated the UN’s findings that IS continues to pose a significant threat to international peace and security, especially in conflict zones, despite significant progress by UN member states in countering the threat. The group has also expanded its activities in its former strongholds in Iraq and Syria and in Southeast Asia, Voronkov said.

Voronkov told the UN Security Council that in West Africa and the Sahel, a broad region that crosses the continent, the situation has deteriorated “and is becoming increasingly complex” as local ethnic and regional disputes intersect with the agenda and activities of the extremist group. , also known by its Arabic name Daesh, and its subsidiaries.

“Daesh affiliates continued to operate with increasing autonomy from the core of Daesh,” he said, warning that if this trend continues there is a risk “that a huge area of ​​instability could emerge from Mali to the borders of Nigeria.”

Natalia Gherman, Executive Director of the Executive Directorate of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee, said: “They are exploiting political instability and expanding their sphere of influence, operations and territorial control in the Sahel, with increasing concerns off the coast of West Africa .”

“The African continent is now responsible for almost half of terrorist attacks worldwide, while the central Sahel is responsible for around 25% of such attacks,” she told the council.

Voronkov, head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, said countering the threat of terrorism in Africa remains a priority for his office.

Gherman said that “persistent challenges persist in the Middle East and Southeast and Central Asia, with indications that Daesh is attempting to revive in those sub-regions as well.”

The Islamic State group broke away from al-Qaeda more than a decade ago and has attracted followers from around the world. Despite defeats in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later, UN experts said last month that there are still between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters. In Iraq they are waging “a low-intensity insurgency with secret terrorist cells,” while in Syria attacks have intensified since November, the experts said.

In positive developments, he pointed to the group’s prolonged delay in appointing a new leader after the previous leader was assassinated, saying this “is being assessed as a reflection of internal challenges and difficulties in ensuring the security of the new leader.” In countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt and Mozambique, he said, terrorist activities by members of the Islamic State “have been reduced by effective counter-terrorism efforts by Member States.”

The government’s efforts to tackle IS funding also continue to yield results, Voronkov said. “Daesh’s financial reserves are currently estimated at between $10 and $25 million, compared to hundreds of millions a few years ago,” the UN Under-Secretary-General said.

In Afghanistan, Voronkov said, the efforts of Taliban rulers “have reportedly had an impact on Daesh’s ability to carry out attacks in the country.” But UN experts have detailed continued ties between the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Gherman said a priority for her committee is working with the 193 UN member states to tackle the use of new technology for terrorist purposes, pointing as an example to IS’s increasing use of drones for intelligence gathering and attacks .

Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said the international police organization is working closely with UN counter-terrorism officials on a project to help law enforcement “identify and prevent the exploitation for terrorist purposes of enablers such as encryption services, video distribution tools and new propaganda platforms.” ”

He said Interpol also has a project to collect data on links between organized crime and terrorists, citing as an example the trafficking of cocaine through North and West Africa, mainly by sea and along the Sahel route. “Our findings show interactions between terrorist groups and criminal organizations, where their interests and areas of operation converge to benefit both sides,” he said.

In the fight against terrorism, Stock says Interpol focuses on biometrics, border security and battlefield information.