The U.N. counterterrorism chief has raised an alarm about ISIS’s growing presence in Africa. Learn more about the threat and its implications.
Amid the ongoing political instability in West Africa and the Sahel, The Islamic State extremist group is increasing its level of threat and concentrating on carrying out attacks abroad.
On Thursday, the Security Council was briefed by a senior U.N. counterterrorism official who cautioned that Islamic State and affiliated extremist organizations could extend their sphere of influence over a vast part of Africa.
During a routine council briefing, Vladimir Voronkov – the undersecretary for counterterrorism – conveyed that operational territories of IS group affiliates in West Africa and the Sahel have strengthened and broadened.
He expressed that the situation regarding terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel is difficult and intricate. The expansion of terrorist organizations within the region has resulted in significant loss of life, posing a threat to regional stability.
According to Voronkov, the operational territories of two Daesh affiliates in the region – namely, Islamic State West Africa Province and Islamic State in Greater Sahel- have expanded and grown stronger.
Their potential dominance could span from Mali to northern Nigeria if they extend their power across the northern states.
Voronkov noted that the reach of IS group affiliates has widened across different regions of Africa, encompassing countries such as Mozambique, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
