The United States has warned of a renewed extremist threat in West Africa, saying remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS) are regrouping and exploiting weak governance across parts of the region.
ISIS was declared defeated by the governments of Iraq and Syria in 2017 after years of military operations backed by US forces.
However, according to Washington, the group had already begun spreading its influence earlier, with cells emerging by 2014 across Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
In a new counterterrorism strategy, the US said the group fragmented after its battlefield losses and shifted operations to regions with fragile state structures, particularly in Africa.
“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.
The warning is particularly significant for West Africa, including the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, where ISIS-linked groups operate through Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), carrying out attacks on civilians and security forces while maintaining influence in some territories.
The US strategy document stated, “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.”
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It added, “The second is to protect Christians, who have been slaughtered at the hands of these Jihadi groups.”
While some US lawmakers and advocacy groups have accused Nigerian authorities of not doing enough to protect Christian communities, the administration of President Bola Tinubu maintains that insecurity in Nigeria is complex and not defined by religious targeting.
The US also referenced President Donald Trump’s decision to authorise strikes against Islamist militants on Christmas Day, describing it as evidence that attacks on Christian communities would not be tolerated. Nigeria, according to the report, approved the operation.
Although Washington says it is scaling back global military deployments, it stressed that it will continue targeting extremist groups in Africa that pose a threat to US interests.
The US added that it is rebuilding counterterrorism partnerships with African governments through intelligence sharing and capacity support, saying cooperation will continue until, “our shared foes no longer pose a serious threat to either them or us”.
“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 document stated.
It further described Africa as having “almost limitless potential”, but stressed that this depends on governments asserting control over their territories and limiting space for terrorist groups.
The US also indicated that African partners will be expected to take on a greater share of counterterrorism responsibilities going forward.