Foreign fighters go back to Europe: African official

By Mohammed Amin

KHARTOUM

Thousands of foreign fighters in Syria, Iraq and Libya have returned to their home countries in Europe, an African intelligence official said.

Shimeles Semayat, the Executive-Secretary of the Committee of the Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA), said between 20 to 40% of foreign fighters in the three war-torn countries have returned home according to many intelligence reports.

He said those fighters can move freely through the African continent as they are holding western passports.

“This is an extreme threat to the African countries,” Semayat told the opening session of a conference of African intelligence officials in Khartoum on Monday.

The three-day meeting brings together dozens of intelligence and security officials from nearly 30 African countries to discuss ways of drafting counter-terrorism strategies in Africa.

Semayat said many terrorist groups as Al-Qaeda, Daesh and Boko Haram have recruited thousands of fighters in Africa in the past year.

In a statement, CISSA said Daesh has managed to have presence in the sub-Saharan region.

It said many Daesh militants, who had fled Syria, Libya and Iraq, have reorganized themselves in Burkina Faso.