The Islamic State in Africa

The CTC Sentinel published in August 2018 an article titled "The Islamic State in Africa: Estimating Fighter Numbers in Cells Across the Continent" by Jason Warner, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and Charlotte Hulme, PhD candidate at Yale.

This article is an overview of the approximate number of fighters in various Islamic State cells in Africa as of July 2018. The authors' best estimates suggest the presence of approximately 6,000 Islamic State fighters in Africa today, spread over a total of nine Islamic State cells. By far the largest cell is the Islamic State West African Province, formerly known as Boko Haram. In descending order, the next largest Islamic State cells are found in the Sinai, Libya, Greater Sahara, and Somalia.