SA’s inept security cluster makes it a haven for terrorists, including ISIS

Experts have lamented SA’s inept security organs, corruption, and lawlessness, which has made it an attractive destination for those involved in international terrorist groups, after US authorities exposed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) agents based in the country.

This week American authorities linked four agents designated by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and ISIS-Mozambique (ISIS-M).

The two South African citizens, a Tanzanian, and an Ethiopian were sanctioned as organisers and financial facilitators based in SA, playing an increasingly central role in facilitating the transfer of funds from the top of the ISIS hierarchy to branches across Africa.

The US authorities allege that as facilitators, Farhad Hoomer, of KwaZulu-Natal, Siraaj Miller of Mitchells Plain, Ethiopian Abdella Hussein Abadigga, as well as Kenyan Peter Charles Mbaga, are involved in recruitment, robberies, kidnapping and extortion to raise funds for ISIS operations.

The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) and other troops in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are currently involved in a battle to end the bloody Islamic insurgency in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique.

Also Read: Mozambique insurgents unlikely to come to negotiating table, says expert

A SA soldier is amongst 11 SADC soldiers killed in the insurgency intervention.

Fertile ground for terrorists

University of Free State anthropologist Professor Theodore Petrus said the discovery of ISIS operations in SA boiled down to the issue of crime and local authorities’ inability to combat it.

Petrus said corruption and the ineffectiveness of law enforcement and security agencies rendered SA fertile ground for terrorist operations.

Corruption is going to perhaps be the one weak link that enables all manner of crime and criminality, whether it is home-grown within the country, or coming from outside the country, that is going to allow it to take root and possibly to even flourish.

“When you combine these two factors; ineffectiveness of the relevant law enforcement structures, and corruption, not only does that create a fertile ground for home-grown criminality but it also exposes the country to criminality and even, as in this case potential terrorism from outside of the borders as well,” Petrus explained.

Wake up call

Richard Chelin said as an Independent security analyst, the sanctioning of the SA-based ISIS agents indicated what was already known about the threat ISIS posed to SA, especially in the financing sector.

He said terrorist groups would mostly be attracted by the efficiency of the financial system, and they will always need that to bring in the cash and to fund their operations.

Chelin said this also further confirmed what scholars, analysts, and researchers have been saying over the last few years, which is that SA needs to be more careful, especially in terms of finance, and take terrorism financing prevention seriously.

“It is a good thing that the US has managed to get that and I think this presents more awareness now for officials in financial institutions, to be more careful and scrutinise finances even more and their clients as well,” he said.

The way forward is to further apply the financial regulations that deal with terrorism financing worldwide, which Chellin said SA was quite good at, although there is always room for improvement.

He said it was important to go back to the drawing board to see how come such instances of ISIS operations were not picked up, move forward from there and determine ways to strengthen the system.

“…one of the key aspects to choke off terrorism is through the financing…that is a positive aspect of it that will lead to more stringent measures in vetting customers,” Chellin added.

What the US sanctions mean

The designation or sanctioning of the four effectively means they are blocked from doing business with the US.

According to the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, all property and entities owned by the four are blocked.

This prohibits all transactions by U.S. persons or anyone within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons.

The prohibitions include the making or receiving of any contribution of funds, goods, or services to or for the benefit of those persons

The US authorities warned that engaging in certain transactions with the designated individuals entails risk of secondary sanctions for a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates any significant transaction on behalf of the entities linked to the flagged individuals.