The ISIS terrorist organisation poses a growing threat amid political instability in West Africa and the Sahel, and it remains determined to carry out operations overseas, according to the UN counter-terrorism director on Thursday.
Vladimir Voronkov underlined UN conclusions that ISIS remains a substantial danger to world peace and security, particularly in war zones, despite significant progress made by UN member states in combatting the threat. Voronkov told The Associated Press that the organisation has also intensified activities in its previous strongholds of Iraq and Syria, as well as Southeast Asia.
Situation in West Africa and Sahel
Voronkov told the United Nations Security Council that the situation in West Africa and the Sahel, a vast region spanning the continent, has deteriorated “and is becoming more complex,” as local ethnic and regional conflicts intersect with the agenda and operations of the extremist group, also known by its Arabic name Daesh, and its affiliates.
“Daesh affiliates continued to operate with increasingly more autonomy from the Daesh core,” he stated, warning that if this trend continues, “that a vast area of instability may emerge from Mali to the borders of Nigeria.”
Natalia Gherman, the head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, stated, “They are exploiting political instability and expanding their radius of influence, operations, and territorial control in the Sahel, with growing concerns for coastal West Africa.”
“The African continent now accounts for almost half of terrorist acts worldwide, with central Sahel accounting for about 25% of such attacks,” she told the UN Security Council.
Voronkov, who leads the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, stated that combating the danger of terrorism in Africa is a top priority for his organisation.
Gherman stated that “enduring challenges persist in the Middle East, Southeast, and Central Asia,” with evidence that ISIS “is attempting to resurge in those sub-regions as well.”
Breakdown of ISIS
ISIS broke out from al-Qaeda over a decade ago, attracting sympathisers from all across the world. Despite its defeat in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later, UN analysts estimated last month that there are still 3,000 to 5,000 militants. “A low-intensity insurgency with covert terrorist cells” is being carried out in Iraq, while assaults in Syria have increased since November, according to specialists.
In a good development, he cited the group’s lengthy delay in announcing a new leader after the former head was slain, stating that this “is assessed to reflect internal challenges and difficulties in ensuring the new leader’s security.”
