admin
Herald Reporter
THE United States on Wednesday designated two Islamic State affiliates in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo as “foreign terrorist organisations,” imposing wide-ranging sanctions on the groups.
In a statement the State and Treasury departments said the US had designated the “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria — Democratic Republic of Congo (ISIS-DRC)” and the “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria — Mozambique (ISIS-Mozambique)” as foreign terrorist organisations and as specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs).
Leaders of the organisations Seka Musa Baluku and Abu Yasir Hassan, as SDGTs were also placed under sanctions.
As a result, all the property and interests of the designated organisations and individuals, which were subject to US jurisdiction, would be blocked.
“US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them.” Foreign financial institutions that knowingly conducted or facilitated any significant transaction on behalf of these groups or individuals could also be subject to US financial sanctions.
“Additionally, it is a crime to knowingly provide material support or resources to ISIS-DRC or ISIS-Mozambique, or to attempt or conspire to do so.”
The two groups are blamed for multiple attacks in southern and central Africa that have left many hundreds of people dead since 2017. In the Congo, ISIS-DRC, which is also known as the Allied Democratic Forces is held responsible for attacks across the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, targeting primarily government security forces and civilians.
In Mozambique, the group known as Ansar al-Sunna is alleged to have killed more than 1 300 civilians in an insurgency in the north of the country that has taken the lives of more than 2 300 people total.
Online Reporter