Comoros Bans 69 Entities, Including Muslim Brotherhood, as “Terrorist Organizations” in Crackdown Against Extremism

The Comoros has announced a ban on sixty-nine entities operating globally as “terrorist groups and organizations” on national territory, according to Decree No. 23-004 / Medati / Cap, signed on February 9 by the Minister of the Interior, Fikridine Mahmoud.

The list includes entities such as the Islamic State, Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, and movements affiliated with Shiite networks such as the Houthis in Yemen, among others.

The decree provides for the possibility of confiscation of “property and values” and prohibits any “recruitment of followers” and “providing human, material and financial resources or organizing propaganda.”

The targeted entities are based in the Middle East and have strong networks and antennas in Africa, Europe, some Asian countries, and the Gulf of Aden. The Aqmi group (Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqba), and Al-Shaabi, suspected of supporting and feeding terrorist groups operating in the Mozambique Canal in Cabo Delgado, are included in this blacklist, the first published by the Comorian authorities.

The announcement comes amid increasing piracy, arms smuggling, trafficking of all kinds, and illegal acts linked to terrorist groups in the Indian Ocean region, as indicated in reports issued by the Regional Center for Integration of Maritime Information (Crifm) based in Madagascar. “This dynamic arms trafficking poses a worrying threat in the region, and countries must prepare accordingly to respond effectively to the related problems of transnational crime,” said Said Lafani, the international liaison officer representing Comoros at Crifm.

In Addis Ababa, on February 18, Head of State Ghazali El Othmani, the current chair of the African Union, promised, in addition to working with the relevant countries and bodies, to stop the threats posed by terrorist activities. organizations in many regions of the continent.

For him, it is necessary to prevent young people from “becoming hostages of extremists of all kinds, who threaten peace and stability in our country with their terrorist acts.”

The Comorian authorities are determined to comply with the directives of regional and international organizations, the African Union, and the United Nations in particular, as well as partners who are active against the illegal activities of the state party.

“This is a message addressed to these structures and to those who encourage them. There will be no tolerance in the event of reporting or discovering suspicious activities in the Comoros,” said a Ministry source.

No one can confirm whether these terrorist organizations and groups banned in the Comoros have direct or indirect links with local structures or individuals of Comorian nationality until proven otherwise.