ISIS in Africa

After major setbacks in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State (ISIS) is attempting a comeback in Africa. Some 6,000 fighters have established nine ISIS cells operating in the Sahel region, the Horn of Africa, central Africa and, most recently, the continent's southeastern Swahili Coast. Insurgents are capturing strategic territories by forming temporary alliances with ethnic militias, conscripting child soldiers and using anti-government propaganda to recruit followers — especially among Africa's large population of unemployed and disaffected youths. Experts say the insurgency is being stymied in some areas, with assistance from international and African military forces, but it is spreading in others. The extremists have seized strategic, resource-rich territories, such as gold-mining regions in Burkina Faso and areas with abundant natural gas in Mozambique. As a result, analysts say, Africa has become a front line in the war against jihadists, creating dangerous economic, political and security problems for the continent and, potentially, the world.