Washington blocks ISIS financing in South Africa

The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has blacklisted four leaders of ISIS because of their financing of the terrorist organization on the African continent, and the department confirmed that these four reside in South Africa. Prohibitions include making or receiving any contribution of funds, goods or services to or for the benefit of such persons.

“Treasury is taking this action to disrupt and expose key ISIS supporters who exploit South Africa’s financial system to facilitate funding for ISIS branches and networks across Africa. The United States is working with its African partners, including South Africa, to dismantle ISIS financial support networks on the continent,” Under Secretary of the Treasury Brian E. Nelson said in a statement.

ISIS has tried to expand its influence in Africa recently through large-scale operations in areas where government control is limited.

According to the US Treasury Department, ISIS affiliates in Africa rely on local fundraising, theft, extortion of local residents, and kidnappings for ransom, as well as financial support from leaders.

Who are they?

Between 2017 and 2018, the ISIS leader Farhad Hoomer helped the terrorist organization and began to establish an ISIS cell in Durban, South Africa, and he provided some of his residential properties and vehicles registered in his name to the organization, as well as collecting funds through kidnappings for ransom and extortion of major companies, through which he was able to save more than 1 million South African rand (1 rand = 0.066 US dollars) from the revenue for his cell.

In 2018, South African authorities arrested Hoomer and his associates for their involvement in a scheme to deploy improvised incendiary devices near a mosque, commercial buildings and retail stores.

Siraaj Miller, who leads a group of ISIS supporters in Cape Town, South Africa, provided financial assistance to ISIS by training its members in robberies to raise money, and in 2018 helped Miller obtain temporary safe homes for ISIS elements.

The third was the leader Abdella Hussein Abadigga, who recruited young men and sent them to a weapons training camp. Abadigga, who was in control of two mosques in South Africa, used his position to extort money from mosque-goers and sent these funds by postal transfer to ISIS supporters elsewhere in Africa.

The fourth and last is the leader Bilal al-Sudani, who is a key supporter of the terrorist organization in South Africa.

No effect

Mohamed Ezz el-Din, an Egyptian researcher specializing in African affairs, said that the sanctions on the four ISIS leaders will have no effect on the terrorist organization’s activity in Africa, since ISIS has other sources of funding on the continent, including theft, royalties, kidnapping and exploitation of many natural resources found in many African countries.

In a special statement to the Reference, he stressed that the four leaders, mainly the leaders of major gangs in South Africa, live on theft and kidnappings, adding that a large share of their money is not placed in banks and they have the ability to send money to ISIS elements very easily through illegal ways.