Warn of the Growing Global Influence of the Islamic State Branch in Somalia

Flag of ISIS, Photo: @BloombergAfrica

September 11, 2024 Hour: 9:55 pm

The Islamic State (IS) branch in Somalia has become a “key component” of the global network of the jihadist group due to its ability to generate revenue primarily through extortion, the think tank International Crisis Group warned on Thursday (ICG).

Despite its current “low operational weight” in the region, this subsidiary of IS based in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland (north), has acquired a notable relevance in the terrorist organization at global level, ICG stated in a report based on interviews with security officials, locals and researchers in Puntland and the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

This rise is due to the generation of substantial income mainly through extortion, so the Somali branch of IS “has sent funds to branches throughout Africa” and even to “places as far away as Afghanistan”.

The think tank acknowledged that al-Shabab, a group affiliated with the al-Qaeda jihadist network since 2012, represents a greater and better-established threat in the Horn of Africa country.

Islamic State in Somalia, the global terrorist group’s affiliate in the Horn of Africa, has grown in influence, according to the International Crisis Group https://t.co/404B9kFYhZ
— Bloomberg Asia (@BloombergAsia) September 12, 2024

The main rivals of IS in Somalia -Al Shabab and the authorities of Puntland- “have managed to limit its spread, but they have not succeeded in eliminating it,” he says.

Also of great importance has become the leader of the Somali branch of IS, Abdul Qadir Mumin, who now “can serve as the new caliph of the Islamic State”.

“Although the IS has not made a formal announcement, some officials believe that the leader of IS-Somalia, Abdul Qadir Mumin, has become the new leader of the group,” explains ICG’s Africa programme director, Murithi Mutiga.

“The selection of an African caliph, if confirmed, would be a fundamental advance for the group, highlighting how the continent has become a new center for jihadist activity after the setbacks of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,” Mutiga adds.