Overview

Abu Yasir Hassan is the U.S.-designated leader of Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamaah (ASWJ)—otherwise known as ISIS-Mozambique.“State Department Terrorist Designations of ISIS Affiliates and Leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique,” U.S. Department of State, March 10, 2021, https://www.state.gov/state-department-terrorist-designations-of-isis-affiliates-and-leaders-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-mozambique/. The group has reportedly killed more than 1,300 civilians throughout the course of their violent insurgency and has displaced nearly 670,000 people within northern Mozambique.“State Department Terrorist Designations of ISIS Affiliates and Leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique,” U.S. Department of State, March 10, 2021, https://www.state.gov/state-department-terrorist-designations-of-isis-affiliates-and-leaders-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-mozambique/. The U.S. Department of State designated Hassan as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on March 10, 2021.“State Department Terrorist Designations of ISIS Affiliates and Leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique,” U.S. Department of State, March 10, 2021, https://www.state.gov/state-department-terrorist-designations-of-isis-affiliates-and-leaders-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-mozambique/.

ISIS-Mozambique, which is locally known as ASWJ or al-Shabaab in Mozambique, is not affiliated with al-Shabaab in Somalia. The insurgent group reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS as early as April 2018, and was acknowledged by ISIS central in August 2019.“State Department Terrorist Designations of ISIS Affiliates and Leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique,” U.S. Department of State, March 10, 2021, https://www.state.gov/state-department-terrorist-designations-of-isis-affiliates-and-leaders-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-mozambique/.

A Tanzanian national, Hassan has allegedly led ISIS-Mozambique since October 2017. Since March 2020, ASWJ has sporadically taken control of the port town of Mocímboa da Praia, which hosts multiple foreign energy companies taking on lucrative gas projects in the area. Although security forces were previously able to overtake the insurgents, since January 2020, the quickly growing number of jihadists has overwhelmed Mozambique’s security sector. Mozambique’s government, police, and army are poorly equipped to adequately counter the militants and have been reported to have even fled scenes of insurgent activity.Nick Fishwick, “Spreading Violence and Growing Instability Plague Northern Mozambique,” Cipher Brief, https://www.thecipherbrief.com/column_article/spreading-violence-and-growing-instability-plague-northern-mozambique; “State Department Terrorist Designations of ISIS Affiliates and Leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique,” U.S. Department of State, March 10, 2021, https://www.state.gov/state-department-terrorist-designations-of-isis-affiliates-and-leaders-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-mozambique/.

Hassan was designated by the U.S. State Department as an SDGT on March 10, 2021, for his role in directing large scale attacks resulting in the displacement of hundreds of thousands throughout Mozambique.“State Department Terrorist Designations of ISIS Affiliates and Leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique,” U.S. Department of State, March 10, 2021, https://www.state.gov/state-department-terrorist-designations-of-isis-affiliates-and-leaders-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-mozambique/.