extremism
Anti-IS alliance: threat from terrorist militia continues
Members of the security forces point to a body bag containing human remains found in a mass grave in western Mosul. These are believed to be the victims killed and buried during the 2014 occupation of the area by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. Photo: Ismael Adnan/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Supporters of the Islamic State are spreading fear and terror not only in Syria and Iraq, but also in many African countries. Again and again they carry out attacks with many deaths.
The foreign ministers of the states in the alliance against the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) have warned of the ongoing threat posed by the group.
Despite the setbacks for IS, the terrorist militia is continuing to carry out attacks in Iraq and Syria, according to a joint statement after a ministerial meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco. The permanent defeat of the IS in these two countries is still the top priority.
At the first ministerial meeting of the alliance founded in Africa in 2014, the need to counter the threat posed by IS on this continent was also recognized.
attacks worldwide
According to the US State Department, subgroups are said to be active in several regions in Africa: In West Africa, members of IS in West Africa (ISWAP), in northern Nigeria, in Chad and in Cameroon are said to be repeatedly carrying out attacks. Militias have also pledged their allegiance to IS in the Sahel region, which stretches south of the Sahara from the Atlantic to the Red Sea.
In Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, there are repeated attacks, including on civilians. According to US figures, the death toll from IS attacks in West Africa almost doubled between 2017 and 2020 to almost 5,000 deaths.
In East Africa, for example, the US State Department has imposed sanctions against the IS offshoot Islamist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and IS Mozambique. Sanctions have also been imposed on financial IS supporters in South Africa, who are accused of exploiting the South African financial system to facilitate funding for IS networks across Africa. In North Africa, the IS is mainly active in Egypt in North Sinai and also partly in Libya and Tunisia.
«Priority to protect civilians»
In Marrakesh, representatives from more than 60 countries emphasized their determination to “continue the fight against IS through military and civilian efforts,” according to the statement released by the US State Department. “Together, the ministers emphasized the protection of civilians as a priority.”