Foreign Secretary Raab Warns Of Growing Threat Of Terrorism In Africa

Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, will announce today, June 28, new UK funding to fight the growing threat of terrorism in West Africa.

At a meeting of the Global Coalition against Daesh in Rome this afternoon, Dominic Raab will commit £12.6m to support efforts to counter the group in the Lake Chad Basin, which covers north-east Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

The funds will be used to support both the regionally-led military fight against Daesh, and projects encouraging its fighters to leave the terrorist group.

Foreign ministers from more than 45 countries are meeting today to discuss deepening cooperation to combat Daesh and its affiliate terrorist groups, including emerging threats across the African continent.

The UK will highlight concern over the fragile security situation in Iraq and violence in displacement camps and detention centres in north-east Syria.

Dominic Raab will urge Coalition partners to come together to tackle this pressing threat and target the longer-term drivers of terrorism, both in the Middle East and in areas of Africa where attacks from Daesh-linked groups have been growing.

The UK is funding a new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund programme for the Lake Chad Basin region of West Africa, where Daesh’s affiliate, known as Islamic State West Africa, is responsible for significant violence.

Foreign Secretary Raab, said, “Two years since Daesh’s territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria, the threat of Daesh and its hateful ideology has not gone away. Worryingly it continues to grow in Africa which is why we must work with our Coalition partners to fight its poisonous propaganda on all fronts.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder with our African partners to tackle the growing threat from Daesh-linked groups across Africa, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin,” he added.

Monday’s meeting in Rome will mark the first time Global Coalition foreign ministers have met in person since November 2019, and will be co-hosted by Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to check The Euro Weekly News for all your up-to-date local and international news stories.