Webinar | The Islamic State’s pivot to Africa

Watch our recorded webinar where our experts discussed:

• The operational pivot of Islamic State activity toward Africa — and what is driving this shift.
• A deep dive into IS affiliates, or so-called “provinces” in Somalia, the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, the Great Lakes region, and northern Mozambique, and their ties to IS Central.
• The state response and civilian impact: how local governments and international partners are responding to this growing threat, and the impact of the rise in activity on civilians.

Background

The Islamic State is increasingly pivoting its operations toward Africa, where it maintains the capacity to coordinate violence across a broad area, can generate financial resources, and expand its recruitment base. Over two-thirds of the Islamic State’s global activity in the first half of 2025 was recorded on the continent. This pivot to Africa comes as the group propaganda also focuses more and more on its operations in Africa, and as some reports indicate that it appointed the head of the Somalia IS group, Abdulkadir Mumin, as the group’s worldwide leader in 2024. This surge in activity raises urgent questions about the Islamic State’s capacity for violence in Africa, its strategies, and the threat it poses to regional governments and the world. 

Join ACLED’s experts on Somalia, the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, the Great Lakes region, and northern Mozambique, as they break down how these affiliates are operating in Africa, their ties to IS Central, and how civilians are paying the price of their territorial ambitions.