US names Mozambican terrorist leaders – AIM

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US names Mozambican terrorist leaders – AIM

6:29 CAT | 09 Aug 2021

Photo: Twitter * @Jasminechic0

For the first time, the US State Department has named two of the leaders of the islamist terrorists operating in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.

They are Bonomade Machude Omar, also known as Abu Sulafya Muhammad and as Ibn Omar, and Abu Yasir Hassan.

An announcement issued on Friday and signed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, describes Hassan as “the leader of ISIS-Mozambique” and Omar as head of “the Military and External Affairs Departments for ISIS-Mozambique”.

The terrorists are known locally as Al-Shabaab, although they seem to have no organisational ties with the Somali terrorist group of that name. The State Department, however. Has reached the conclusion that the group’s ties with the terrorist network that calls itself Islamic State, or ISIS, are strong enough to justify referring to it as a branch of ISIS.

Blinken said that Omar “serves as the senior commander and lead coordinator for all attacks conducted by the group in northern Mozambique, as well as the lead facilitator and communications conduit for the group”.

He added that, during the 24 March attack on the town of Palma, “Omar led one group of fighters while Abu Yasir Hassan led another group”. In particular, Omar was responsible for the attack on the Amarula Hotel, on the outskirts of Palma town. Blinken claimed that Omar ordered attacks, not only in Cabo Delgado, but also in Mtwara province in southern Tanzania.

Mozambique
US State Department Announces 5 Additions to Global Terrorist List
Includes: Bonomade Machude Omar also known as “King of the Forest”.https://t.co/KZQmilPoda pic.twitter.com/ydYnrqcicq

— Jasmine Opperman (@Jasminechic00) August 7, 2021

Omar is one of five men whom Blinken designated as terrorist leaders operating in various parts of Africa. The others are Sidanag Hatta, described as “a senior leader and commander responsible for the Kidal Region in Mali within Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM)”, Salem ould Breihmatt, a JNIM senior leader and emir of Arbinda and Serma in the Mopti Region of Mali, Ali Mohamed Rage, described as the spokesperson and senior leader of the Somali Al-Shabaab, and Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir, an Al-Shabaab operational planner.

The five men are “Specially Designated Global Terrorists”, which means that any assets they may hold “must be blocked and reported to the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)”.

Blinken warned that anyone “who engages in certain transactions with the persons designated today may themselves be exposed to designation”.

The US may also impose sanctions against “any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant financial transaction or provides significant financial services for the persons designated today”.

Blinken added that the US is committed to disrupting the finances of of ISIS-Mozambique, JNIM, and al-Shabaab. This would “limit their abilities to conduct further attacks against civilians”.

He concluded that “addressing the terrorist threat across the continent will require working closely with our partners to degrade the capacity and operations of these terrorist groups, combatting their control and influence in West, East, and Southern Africa”.

The Mozambican Centre of Investigative Journalism (CJI) says that Omar is a Mozambican born in Palma district. He completed his secondary school studies in the town of Mocímboa da Praia, and then studied Islam abroad. On returning to Mozambique, he was employed by the Sudan-based Africa Muslim Agency, in the Cabo Delgado provincial capital, Pemba.

CJI’s sources say that Omar is an “Islamic scholar, clever and very intelligent”. As a pupil, he scored high marks, and was considered hard-working and dedicated. Nobody suspected that he would turn to terrorism.

Source: AIM