Islamic State (IS) has increasingly portrayed its sub-Saharan African affiliates as the leading force of global jihad, while criticizing Muslims in the Middle East and the Arab world for failing to support the group’s cause. The shift comes as IS activity and influence continue to decline in its former strongholds in Iraq and Syria following the collapse of its territorial “caliphate” in 2019.
According to recent issues of IS’s weekly newspaper al-Naba, the group’s branches in West Africa, the Sahel, Somalia, Mozambique and Central Africa now account for most of its claimed attacks worldwide. IS media output has also become heavily focused on Africa, regularly highlighting operations and propaganda produced by these affiliates.
The group presents the growth of its African branches as evidence that jihad remains active despite military defeats in Iraq and Syria. IS argues that international efforts to destroy the organization failed because militant activity has expanded elsewhere, particularly in Africa. At the same time, the organization has expressed frustration over what it describes as a lack of commitment from Muslims in the Arab world.
Recent editorials have praised African militants for their dedication while accusing Arab Muslims of “sitting back” instead of joining jihadist campaigns. IS has used attacks in Niger, Nigeria and Somalia as examples of what it calls commitment and sacrifice, contrasting them with what it portrays as passivity among supporters and wider Muslim audiences in the Middle East.
The group has also expanded its messaging to accuse Muslims of neglecting conflicts and humanitarian crises in Africa. Al-Naba has criticized the perceived lack of attention given to civilian casualties in Nigeria and the ongoing war in Sudan, arguing that Muslim communities show selective solidarity based on ethnicity, nationality or political priorities.
Since losing Baghouz, its last territorial stronghold in Syria, IS has faced declining activity in Iraq and Syria, while affiliates in Egypt and Yemen have become largely dormant. Rival Islamist groups, including the Taliban and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have meanwhile achieved significant political and military gains, further reducing IS’s influence in its traditional areas of operation.
The group’s growing emphasis on Africa suggests IS sees the continent as its primary theater of activity and recruitment. Analysts of its messaging indicate that the organization is likely to continue using the successes of African affiliates both to sustain its global narrative and to pressure supporters elsewhere to become more active.
