The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has said that the security situation throughout the Sahel and much of West Africa has deteriorated significantly over the past several years, making Africa home to nearly half of global terrorism deaths.
Blinken who disclosed this at the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Ministerial Opening Session in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, spoke on the progress which is a testament to the strength of the Coalition and the courage of its partners on the ground.
He recalled in 2014 since countries came together to form the Coalition which has grown into an 86-member force, bringing together countries and organizations from every part of the world. “Together, we’ve achieved the territorial defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
“We’ve taken out or captured its leadership. We’ve prevented large-scale attacks. And invested billions in stabilizing liberated areas and rebuilding region. Thanks to Saudi Arabia contributions to our shared work to defeat ISIS as a founding member of this coalition”, he said.
The Secretary said further that the Africa Focus Group joined today by the newest member of the coalition, Togo helping crystalize the focus on terrorist threat in the region. “That was on display in Niamey, where 38 coalition members and observers recently came together to boost regional collaboration by endorsing the Group Action Plan.
“Which will strengthen border security, collect biometrics of terrorists, counter ISIS propaganda and financing, and more. The United States is supporting these efforts – and has just pledged $130 million to enhance civilian counterterrorism capacity in sub-Saharan Africa, including over $22 million for partnerships with Coastal West Africa”, he announced.
Blinken called for repatriations of foreign terrorist fighters and their family members, he said repatriation is critical to reducing the populations of both displaced persons camps, like al-Hol, detention centers holding nearly 10,000 ISIS fighters, 2,000 of whom are from countries other than Syria and Iraq.
“Failure to repatriate foreign terrorist fighters risks the possibility that they could again take up arms and attempt to restore ISIS’s so-called “caliphate,” terrorize communities that we’re working to stabilize and rebuild, and potentially threaten our homelands”, he said.
Stressing that Al-Hol currently hosts 50,000 displaced persons, most of whom are women and children, half of whom are under the age of 12. “Some of these children know nothing other than life in al-Hol.
“Leaving these children in camps condemns them to lives by danger, the denial of basic health care, the denial of education and the denial of hope. Even as we prioritize addressing the serious security and humanitarian needs at al-Hol and other camps, we know repatriation is the only durable solution”.
Speaking of the repatriation progress, the Secretary said last year, more foreign nationals were repatriated from northeast Syria than in the previous two years combined. “So far in 2023, 14 countries have repatriated 2,000 of their nationals – including hundreds of children who are now able to have a new chance at life.
“We’re grateful to the many countries who have stepped up: the Iraqi Government, which since 2021 has led the way, bringing home nearly 5,000 of its nationals from northeast Syria, including hundreds of fighters; countries, including in Central Asia, which have brought home many of their nationals; Kuwait, which serves as a critical transit hub for these repatriations.
“The United States stands ready to assist with repatriation, providing diplomatic and logistical assistance, as well as aiding with rehabilitation, reintegration, and, where applicable, investigation and efforts to ensure accountability through prosecution”, Blinken added.