Paris (AFP) – Despite his vivid orange beard and distinctive glasses, Abdul Qadir Mumin remains a shadowy figure, difficult to catch, and even harder to understand. This Somalian has likely climbed to the top tier within the Islamic State (IS) ensemble, potentially acting as the de facto big cheese without the official endorsement, according to experts.
Some observers are puzzled about the mysterious figure Abou Hafs al-Hachimi al-Qourachi, IS’s supposed caliph, speculating if he even exists. Meanwhile, it’s plausible that Abdul Qadir Mumin is pulling the strings from Somalia, steering IS’s array of operations across its provinces.
Tore Hamming, from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, states, “He’s the head honcho, the puppet master calling the shots for IS worldwide.” In an organization where leaders topple one by one under U.S. pressures, Mumin is one of the rare top-tier profiles who has slid under the radar, surviving to this day. His status within IS, therefore, holds some serious weight.
Just a handful of months ago, rumors swirled about Mumin’s alleged demise by an American assault, yet without concrete evidence, his operational status remains active. Somalia stands out on the IS map, primarily due to financial interests, as Hamming notes. Funds clandestinely flow from there to places like Mozambique, Yemen, and Afghanistan, making it a financial hub for IS operations.
Born in Northeastern State, a northeastern enclave of Somalia, Sheikh Mumin ventured to Sweden and then to the UK, snagging British citizenship along the way. Known in London and Leicester as a fervent speaker at extremist venues and through online presence, he abruptly switched allegiance in 2015, shedding his history with Al-Shabaab for a new chapter in IS.
A European intelligence source, veiling their identity, shares, “Though his jurisdiction is limited, his influence is massive. He’s a key player in deploying both resources and recruits across borders.” The attack in Mozambique in May, orchestrated by militants with North African ties, had his fingerprints all over it, they claimed. His backing of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo has begotten a formidable militant faction eager to escalate their extremist agenda.
In some circles, Mumin is whispered about as a potential caliph within IS’s ranks, a thought that could incite an ideological shake-up. The core of IS was rooted in the Levant—territories of Iraq and Syria—from 2014 to 2019, leaving Africa as a secondary thought. Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter-Extremism Project warns, “Announcing such a title for Mumin would ruffle feathers among IS’s global followers.”
Traditionally, a caliph must descend from Arabian tribal lines linked to the Prophet, an ideal Mumin doesn’t fit. However, his strategic location in the Horn of Africa affords him a semblance of stability and maneuverability that’s becoming increasingly valuable to IS’s unfolding agenda.
CTC Sentinel, a publication from the United States Military Academy at West Point, observes a similarity between Mumin’s strategies and those of Osama bin Laden, whose financial savvy was pivotal in his operations. Mumin’s meteoric rise, despite commanding a modest number of militants, highlights two shifts within IS’s internal workings.
Hamming outlines the first shift: the caliphal role isn’t the pinnacle of influence in IS anymore. Secondly, there’s a marked strategic pivot towards Africa, where the majority of IS’s violent propagandas in Europe are sourced from.
Still, the Middle East’s gravitational pull on IS leadership and operations remains potent, according to CTC Sentinel. Mumin’s ascendancy might seem unusual, yet it signifies the perennial game of thrones within IS’s ever-evolving landscape.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
