Mogadishu (Dawan Africa) – The United States announced on Monday a reward of up to $10 million for information that could help disrupt the financial networks of ISIS-Somalia, describing the group as one of ISIS’s most significant affiliates in Africa and a central funding hub for its global networks.
According to the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program, ISIS-Somalia generates revenue through illicit activities including extortion, money laundering, kidnapping for ransom, arms trafficking, piracy, and the use of digital currencies such as cryptocurrency.
The U.S. government pledged that anyone who provides actionable information to prevent such activities could be eligible for both financial rewards and relocation assistance.
“Do you have information on ISIS-Somalia? Share what you know. You could qualify for a reward or relocation,” the program said in its statement.
The program encouraged individuals with credible information to contact them through secure communication channels including WhatsApp, Telegram, and Tor.
This move comes as Somalia continues to battle both Al-Shabaab and ISIS, with ISIS-Somalia entrenched in the mountains of Puntland where heavy fighting is ongoing.
The new U.S. reward signals the strategic importance of disrupting financial flows that sustain extremist violence in the Horn of Africa.
