UN Warns: ISIS Still a Potent Global Threat Amid Emerging Patterns of Terrorism
The UN reports that ISIS persists in exploiting instability in the Middle East and Africa, while Sahel terrorism surges, demanding global action.
UN counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov warned the Security Council on Wednesday that Daesh (ISIS) remains a resilient and evolving threat, with operations reemerging in Syria and Iraq despite losses of senior leaders, Arab News reported. In Syria’s Badia region and parts controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, ISIS is exploiting security gaps to conduct covert operations and fuel sectarian tensions. In Iraq, the group seeks to destabilize regional authorities and regain influence.
Voronkov also raised alarm over dangerous conditions in northeastern Syrian camps, where weapons reportedly have fallen into terrorist hands, and stressed the continued potency of ISIS-Khorasan in Afghanistan, especially its targeting of civilians and minorities.
Highlighting the growing threat in Africa, Voronkov noted that West Africa and the Sahel have become hotbeds of ISIS-related violence. ADF-linked attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo resulted in atrocities such as the Kasanga massacre earlier this year. He also pointed to the use of weapons and propaganda in the Lake Chad Basin by the group.
UN data indicates that sub-Saharan Africa accounted for approximately 59% of terrorism-related deaths in 2024, with the Sahel region responsible for over 6,000 deaths yearly — surpassing half of all global fatalities.
CTED Executive Director Natalia Gherman warned that ISIS in Somalia is transforming into a growing logistical hub. She emphasized the group’s expanding use of emerging technologies—such as encrypted platforms, AI, and cross-border financial systems—for recruitment, fundraising, and propaganda.
In response, CTED has conducted assessment visits to multiple countries—including Somalia, Chad, Cameroon, and Nigeria—to bolster local capacities. Likewise, the EU–UN Global Terrorism Threats Facility has supported legislative and institutional reforms in countries including Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, and Tajikistan.
Voronkov urged member states to adopt long-term, prevention-oriented strategies addressing radicalization’s root causes, alongside humane detention practices. He particularly stressed the risks of continued radicalization in Syria’s overcrowded camps holding tens of thousands of women and children, underscoring the need for international legal compliance and collaboration.
