UN warns Islamic State threat growing, situation urgent in West Africa, Sahel

Acting Undersecretary-General of the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism Alexandre Zouev told the Security Council on Wednesday that the threat posed by the Islamic State group has increased steadily and remains multipolar and increasingly complex, with the situation in West Africa and the Sahel especially urgent.

"The group and its affiliates continued to adapt and demonstrate resilience despite sustained counter‑terrorism pressure," said Zouev. "The group continued to recruit foreign terrorist fighters, and to enhance their use of new and emerging technologies."

The group has also been able to maintain access to funding streams through opportunistic fund‑raising, unlawful taxation, and kidnapping for ransom, according to Zouev.

In the Lake Chad Basin, Zouev said that the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has further expanded its prominence.

In the Middle East, he says the group remains active in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic, with continued attacks and renewed efforts to destabilize local authorities.

In the Syrian Arab Republic, the security situation remains very fragile, he says.

Natalia Gherman, executive director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, said that amid vast changes across the United Nations system, the shared goal of preserving international peace and security must remain.

"The efforts of the United Nations to address Da’esh threat are critical," said Gherman. "These efforts require adequate resources and the cooperation of all Member States to achieve our shared goal; a world free from terrorism.”