By Seth J Frantzman, Jerusalem Post.
The group’s ultimate goal is to establish a “caliphate” in Central Africa, similar to ISIS’s vision in Iraq and Syria.
A massacre of Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has shone a spotlight on extremist groups operating across central Africa. This type of massacre is not new. Extremist groups, some of them linked to the Islamic State or ISIS, have been operating across parts of Africa for many years.
However, with the defeat of ISIS and its affiliates in Iraq and Syria between 2017 and 2019, the focus of these groups has largely shifted to other parts of Africa. This includes a swath of the Sahel region, stretching across an area that divides North Africa from Central Africa, as well as areas further south, such as Mozambique.
The massacre is beginning to raise alarms in the Middle East, as extremist groups operating in Africa could lead to radicalization returning to the Middle East. A series of recent articles at the UAE-based Al-Ain media have made this clear.
An article on Tuesday focused on Muslim Brotherhood infiltration in Sudan, while an article on Wednesday focused on the role of ISIS in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The August 2020 article says that “deep in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and on the border with Uganda, the influence of the Allied Democratic Forces, one of Africa’s most dangerous terrorist organizations, is growing.”
Read here.https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/isis-threat/article-864739