The United States has warned that parts of Africa are once again facing a renewed extremist threat as remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS) regroup across multiple regions after their military defeat in Iraq and Syria.
According to a new US counterterrorism strategy, ISIS was declared defeated by Syrian and Iraqi authorities in 2017 following years of sustained military operations backed by US forces. However, the group’s structures were never fully dismantled.
By late 2014, cells claiming allegiance to ISIS had already begun spreading into conflict zones across Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, taking advantage of weak governance and ongoing insecurity.
“In Africa, we have two clear goals that depart from the nation-building and interventionist policies of the past. The first is to guarantee that none of the Jihadi groups can build a base of operations that allows them to plot and execute attacks against the United States and American interests around the world,” the document reads.
The strategy also stated: “The second is to protect Christians, who have been slaughtered at the hands of these Jihadi groups.”
The report identified West Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, Mozambique, Sudan and Somalia as key hotspots where ISIS-linked factions and allied groups have re-established themselves and continue launching attacks on both civilians and security forces.
“As a result, today there are parts of Africa where a resurgent terror threat is the reality. These include in West Africa, the Sahel region, the Lake Chad Basin, Mozambique, Sudan, and of course Somalia, where parts of ISIS have re-established themselves and Al Shabaab maintains its tribal-based Islamist insurgency,” the document reads.
In the Lake Chad Basin, which covers parts of northern Nigeria, groups such as ISWAP continue to operate, often blending into local terrain and exploiting security gaps to carry out coordinated attacks.
The US further stressed that while it is reducing its global military footprint, it will continue targeted operations and intelligence support against extremist groups capable of threatening American interests.
“Wherever possible, we will marry such CT cooperation with the stabilizing effect of heightened trade and commercial relations, as witnessed by President Trump’s historic peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – an example of how security is a prerequisite for prosperity,” the US said.
It added that African partners will be expected to take on a greater share of the counterterrorism burden, while Washington focuses on intelligence support, training and selective operational backing.
The strategy also reaffirmed ongoing cooperation with regional governments until extremist groups are no longer capable of mounting serious threats locally or internationally.
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