The United Nations has warned that the Islamic State terrorist group remains a serious threat in Africa, especially in the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin and parts of Central Africa.

Senior UN counter-terrorism officials gave the warning on Wednesday while briefing the Security Council on the activities of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

Oguljeren Niyazberdiyeva, chief of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, said the organisation and its affiliates remained adaptive and resilient global threats, with Africa bearing the heaviest burden.

The group is also known as ISIL, Da’esh or Islamic State.

The official said the threat remained particularly acute in Africa, especially in the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin and parts of Central Africa. She identified the Islamic State West Africa Province as the most active ISIL affiliate globally.

“In spite of international efforts, Da’esh continues to pose a serious threat to international peace and security,” Ms Niyazberdiyeva said.

She presented the secretary-general’s 23rd report on ISIL activities and UN efforts to assist Member States in combating the terrorist organisation.

Ms Niyazberdiyeva said sustained counter-terrorism operations had disrupted ISIL’s senior leadership and weakened its capacity to direct attacks from a central command. She however warned that the group had adapted by operating through decentralised networks linked by a common extremist ideology.

“While sustained counter-terrorism operations have disrupted Da’esh’s senior leadership, the group has continued to adapt,” Ms Niyazberdiyeva said.

According to her, ISIL and its affiliates are exploiting artificial intelligence, encrypted communications, virtual assets, drones and other emerging technologies.

She noted that terrorist networks were using the technologies to expand their reach, recruit new members, mobilise resources and plan attacks across national borders.

Niyazberdiyeva added that terrorist organisations continued to exploit fragile security institutions, prolonged armed conflicts, poverty, weak governance and political instability. She called for intensive international cooperation and practical action to prevent the terrorist organisation and its splinter groups from regaining strength.

Council members said Africa required greater international assistance to confront terrorist organisations operating across the continent.

Somalia’s representative said the response to ISIL must support African countries bearing the brunt of terrorism and strengthen national ownership of counter-terrorism programmes.

Jocelyne Lukundula, the deputy permanent representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, called for increased support for African counter-terrorism efforts.

“Without constant vigilance and international cooperation, no region will be spared in the long-term,” she warned.

Lewis Brown, Liberia’s permanent representative to the UN, said sub-Saharan Africa now accounted for more than half of global terrorism fatalities.

Mr Brown warned that terrorist organisations in the Sahel were no longer seeking merely to disrupt governments, adding “they seek to replace it”. The Liberian envoy said terrorist groups were steadily extending their activities towards coastal West African countries.

“A threat that adapts faster than our response will inevitably expand to consume all of us,” Mr Brown warned.

Mr Brown called for stronger border intelligence, improved operational capacity and actionable subregional security cooperation.

Council members also expressed concern about foreign terrorist fighters, online radicalisation, organised crime and technologies advancing faster than existing counter-terrorism responses.

The council stressed that defeating terrorism would require military, political, economic and social measures tailored to the conditions confronting affected communities.

(NAN)