Yesterday, the US Treasury Department sanctioned three Islamic State facilitators based in Zambia, Uganda, and South Africa. The three have operated as part of a coordinated network that moves money between Islamic State franchises in Somalia, South Africa, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Mozambique.
Treasury’s designation report reveals it sanctioned Abubakr Swalleh, a Ugandan national based in both Zambia and South Africa; Zayd Gangat, a South African national also linked to criminal networks; and Hamidah Nabagala, another Ugandan national based in the DRC.
According to the designation statement, Swalleh is “involved in the physical transfer of funds from South Africa to the DRC.” Treasury also states that “Swalleh facilitates the movement of ISIS-affiliated individuals from Uganda to South Africa, and vice versa.”
In addition, Treasury states that Swalleh closely works with Mohamad Ali Nkalubo, also known as Meddie, a senior official within the Islamic State’s Central Africa Province (ISCAP) in the DRC. Swalleh and Meddie’s roles in funding ISCAP were meticulously outlined in a previous study by the Bridgeway Foundation for George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.
Meddie ordered Swalleh to move from Uganda to southern Africa, according to Treasury. Meddie was previously designated by the US State Department late last year for his own involvement with the Islamic State. He is believed to be behind most terrorist incidents in Uganda since 2021.
Though the US government just sanctioned Swalleh, he is currently in Ugandan custody. Swalleh was arrested earlier this year in northern Zambia, where he was continuing his work as an Islamic State facilitator. He was subsequently extradited to Uganda, where he is currently held in Kampala’s notorious Luzira Prison.
Regarding Zayd Gangat, the Treasury Department notes that he “is a South Africa-based ISIS facilitator and trainer.” It also states that Islamic State operatives in South Africa “have historically used robbery, extortion, and kidnap for ransom operations to generate funds for the group.” Gangat’s current status and location are unclear, though he is believed to be based in Johannesburg.
The Bridgeway Foundation study also documented former Ugandan Islamic State members traveling to South Africa to receive military training. Based on testimony from these defectors, the research confirmed that Islamic State cells in South Africa, primarily in Johannesburg, rely heavily on crime to generate revenue. The relationship between crime and Islamic State nodes in South Africa has previously been documented by independent reporters in 2020 and the US Treasury in 2022.
Money gained from criminal activities is pooled with money forwarded by the Islamic State’s Al-Karrar Office, an Islamic State-central administrative body hosted within the group’s franchise in Somalia. The Islamic State then forwards funds to other operatives in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and the DRC. Swalleh and Hamidah Nabagala, designated by Treasury yesterday, are two such operatives.
Treasury states Nabagala “serves as an intermediary for ISIS financial flows in central Africa.” While still based inside Uganda, she helped fund the November 2021 triple suicide bombing in Kampala. Treasury makes a point to state that Nabagala “also sought to smuggle her three children out of Uganda to send them to ISIS-affiliate camps in the DRC,” where she is now based.
Though he is not mentioned in Treasury’s designation, Nabagala’s husband, Hamidu Nsubuga, was also an Islamic State operative in Uganda. Hamidu Nsubuga was linked to the August 2021 suicide bombing plot at the funeral of a Ugandan general, which was broken up by Ugandan security forces before he and another individual could blow themselves up. According to Ugandan officials, Meddie Nkalubo commanded that plot.
Hamidu Nsubuga was killed two months later, in October 2021, by Ugandan security after attempting another terrorist plot in Kampala. In November 2021, a separate cell commanded by Nkalubo conducted the triple suicide bombing that Nabagala helped facilitate.
Yesterday’s designations will likely have little impact on the ground since Islamic State financial nodes in Africa largely operate outside of formal banking or financial institutions. However, the report provides useful insights into just how extensive and robust Islamic State networks are across the African continent, including in countries virtually untouched by global jihadism in the past, such as Zambia.
