Egypt calls for anti-Daesh coalition to prioritise Africa

CAIRO: Egypt’s foreign minister said Thursday that the coalition to defeat Daesh must prioritise the extremist group’s growing threat in Africa.
In a video conference held by the coalition, Sameh Shoukry said the coalition efforts in curbing the group’s ambitions must continue.
Shoukry said the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh should prevent the extremists from exploiting the coronavirus pandemic, according to Ahmad Hafez, Shoukry’s advisor.
Hafez said the foreign minister was concerned about the emerging threat posed from Daesh in West Africa and the Sahel, and that the coalition needed to make this a top priority.
But Shoukry said the coalition needs to complete efforts to defeat Daesh and prevent it from reshaping itself in Iraq and Syria. The coalition must ensure the group and its affiliates are unable to reconstitute any territorial enclave, he added.
The meeting included 31 representatives who met at the invitation of Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio and US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo.
The coalition ministers reaffirmed their belief that this comprehensive effort is necessary to achieve a full and enduring defeat of Daesh worldwide.
Pompeo urged the 31 member states to step up funding to defeat the group despite a budget crunch caused by the pandemic.
A US raid last year killed the group’s leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
“That said, our fight against ISIS (Daesh) continues, and will for the foreseeable future. We cannot rest,” Pompeo told the conference.
“We must continue to root out ISIS cells and networks and provide stabilization assistance to liberated areas in Iraq and Syria,” he said.
He asked nations to pledge toward a goal of more than $700 million for 2020.

Egypt calls for anti-Daesh coalition to prioritise Africa