The United States has imposed sanctions on three individuals linked to ISIS, two of whom are based in South Africa.
The US Treasury accused them of using robberies and kidnappings for ransom to fund ISIS activities.
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Abubakar Swalleh and Zayd Gangat are the South African-based operatives named in the sanctions.
Swalleh is identified as an active ISIS operative working in South Africa and Zambia, while Gangat is described as an ISIS facilitator and trainer operating from South Africa.
A third individual, Hamidah Nabagala, who is based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was also sanctioned.
These sanctions followed a meeting of the Counter ISIS Finance Group (CIFG), an international coalition focused on disrupting the financial networks of ISIS.
The US Treasury labelled the three as ‘key financiers and trusted operatives’ who support ISIS operations across Central, Eastern and Southern Africa.
They are said to be crucial links between various ISIS operations, including those in the DRC, Mozambique, Somalia and South Africa.
This action builds on earlier investigations by CIFG into South African links to ISIS.
In March, it was reported that South African banks were used to transfer funds from ISIS leadership in Somalia to their affiliates in central Africa.
The US Treasury has previously sanctioned individuals and companies in South Africa connected to a local ISIS cell led by Durban businessman Farhad Hoomer, who has denied the allegations.
Swalleh, originally from Uganda, is accused of physically transferring funds from South Africa to the DRC and assisting in the movement of ISIS-affiliated individuals between Uganda and South Africa.
Mohamed Ali Nkalubo, an ISIS commander in the DRC, reportedly relies on Swalleh for financial transfers and recruitment for the ISIS DRC affiliate.
Swalleh, under Nkalubo’s direction, has been involved in criminal activities such as robbery and kidnapping to fund ISIS.
This marks one of the first official confirmations of ISIS operatives in South Africa using these methods to generate funds.
A 2023 report by George Washington University’s Program on Extremism also noted similar activities by ISIS sympathisers in South Africa.
Gangat’s role as a facilitator and trainer remains largely undisclosed, but he is noted to be 30 years old and born in South Africa.
Nabagala is described as a financial intermediary for ISIS in central Africa, with connections to the October 2021 Kampala bombing.
The sanctions will freeze any US assets held by Swalleh, Gangat and Nabagala, and prevent US citizens from conducting business with them.
Brian E. Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, emphasised the importance of continued vigilance and effective information sharing among coalition countries to combat ISIS’s financial networks.
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