By Africa Defense Forum, 20th December 2024
The Islamic State group (IS) claims that it committed 788 attacks globally in the first half of 2024. Of those attacks, 536 were in Africa, where the terror group killed 2,142 people.
More than half of the continent’s total deaths from IS violence — 1,115 — were recorded in West Africa, where the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) are prominent.
These statistics highlight the IS group’s continued expansion across Africa, where it has constantly sought to recruit and train new fighters since losing ground in the Middle East.
“The group’s expanding footprint in Africa has profound implications for regional and global security,” wrote HumAngle researcher Aliyu Dahiru. “The continent’s vast ungoverned spaces, porous borders, and socio-political challenges provide fertile ground for militant groups to thrive.”
According to IS information reviewed by Nigeria’s Premium Times newspaper, ISWAP launched 232 attacks that killed 609 people in Nigeria and 40 in Cameroon between January and June.
Although ISWAP operates primarily in northeast Nigeria, it also seeks to disrupt local governance and control territory in Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Recent ISWAP propaganda touted suicide attacks on military positions and included images of a dead person it suspected of working as a spy for the Nigerien military, HumAngle reported. Analysts say that IS affiliates often use suicide missions as a last resort when faced with formidable military offensives.
The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), composed of Soldiers from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, announced in early June that its operation in the Lake Chad Basin killed 140 Boko Haram fighters while 176 more surrendered.
The force’s commander, Major General Ibrahim Ali, said the MNJTF recovered 796 rounds of ammunition, one machine gun, five AK-47 rifles, two motorcycles, eight magazines, and other arms, ammunition and other items. Ali said his forces also destroyed logistic bases and staging areas crucial to Boko Haram operations.
“Since 23 April, the dedicated troops have been relentless in their efforts, recently clearing some locations such as Doron Naira, Zanari, Bagadaza and other key terrorist’s strongholds in the Lake Chad area,” Ali said in an African Perceptions report.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) staged 135 attacks that resulted in 762 deaths in the first half of the year, according to IS.
The IS portrays the Allied Democratic Forces, which also operates in Uganda, as its main Central African branch. Allied Democratic Forces killed nearly 150 people in the eastern DRC between 1 and 11 June, according to local authorities and civil groups.
The group’s June DRC operations included about 15 attacks on civilians near Beni in North Kivu province. A civil society leader, Seba Paluku, said some victims were tied up and decapitated.
A month earlier, IS killed more than 10 people near Beni, torched their homes and confiscated their property, common tactics of the terror group.
Congolese and Ugandan forces conduct joint operations against the Allied Democratic Forces in North Kivu and the neighboring Ituri province but have not stopped the group from attacking civilians.
IS claimed that its affiliates in Mozambique killed 137 people in 68 attacks, while its affiliate in Somalia killed 128 people in 14 attacks.
Since December 2023, the IS has been resurging in Mozambique, where it targets Christians through its “Break the Cross” campaign.
In May, the group staged its boldest attack in Mozambique in years when it ambushed Macomia, where hundreds of South African Soldiers have been based since 2021. Macomia is in the conflict-torn Cabo Delgado province, home to a long-delayed multibillion dollar liquefied natural gas project.
Mozambique’s government said its forces repelled the attack after 45 minutes. Portuguese news agency Lusa reported that more than 100 IS fighters were involved.
Africa Defense Forum (ADF) is a professional military magazine published quarterly by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)