A heavily armed military convoy of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army pass through a checkpoint at Chibok in Borno State northeast Nigeria on March 25, 2016. - On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from their dormitories at the Government Girls Secondary School Chibok, drawing global attention to the Islamist insurgency in northeast Nigeria. (Photo by STEFAN HEUNIS / AFP)
The Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), in collaboration with the United States and Gulf Cooperation Council partners, has imposed sanctions on three key facilitators of the Islamic State operating across Africa.
The move aims to disrupt the jihadist group’s financial and logistical networks that sustain its activities on the continent.
Announced on Tuesday, this marks the eighth coordinated operation by the TFTC since its establishment in 2017, a body dedicated to countering terrorist financing through intelligence sharing, capacity building, and targeted disruption.
“This joint action underscores our shared commitment to preventing the Islamic State and other terrorist groups from using the international financial system to support their activities,” said Bradley T. Smith, acting assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury for Financial Intelligence and Counterterrorism.
The sanctioned individuals include:
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Zayd Gangat, based in South Africa, identified as a trainer and facilitator. According to the U.S. Treasury, Gangat financed Islamic State operations through robbery, extortion, and kidnapping for ransom.
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Hamidah Nabagala, operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), accused of acting as an intermediary channeling funds in Central Africa. She is linked to financing the October 2021 attack in Kampala and allegedly attempted to send her children to Islamic State camps in the DRC.
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Abdiweli Mohamed Yusuf, leader of the Somali branch of the Islamic State since 2019. Yusuf managed the influx of foreign fighters, weapons, and funds. Under his leadership, the group reportedly amassed up to $2.5 million in illicit earnings during 2021.
Zayd Gangat and Hamidah Nabagala were designated on 23 July 2024 by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) during the 20th meeting of the Counter ISIS Finance Group (CIFG). Yusuf had been sanctioned earlier on 27 July 2023.
The TFTC and its partners reaffirm their ongoing commitment to identifying and dismantling the financial lifelines of terrorist organizations worldwide, signaling a sustained international effort to choke off the resources that fuel extremism in Africa and beyond.
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