[imagesource: Getty Images]

2020 has been a quiet one, hey?

As if COVID-19, and the ensuing economic collapse, wasn’t enough to keep you up at night, radical militant group ISIS has now made a series of threats against South Africa.

The organisation actually has a newsletter, ‘Al-Naba’, and in the latest release, the group warned South Africa that it would “open the fighting front” within our borders if we choose to get involved with what’s happening in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province.

The State Security Agency (SSA) is taking the threats seriously, reports News24, with State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo saying the country’s intelligence services were having ‘sleepless nights’.

Dlodlo went on to say:

“We just hope ISIS will understand if they are posing a threat to South Africa, South Africa will ready itself for such threats. We, as a sovereign state, have a responsibility to safeguard our country.”

In addition, she said that South Africa is unable to remove itself from the conflict in Mozambique, as it is part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), meaning that we must offer assistance in any way we can.

If you want to know what’s happening in Mozambique, this is a great explainer, but in a nutshell, militant extremists are carrying out a wide and indiscriminate campaign of terror, with estimates saying more than 1 000 people have been killed.

There are reports of beheadings, kidnappings, and disappearances of women and children, and at least 100 000 people have been displaced.

Robert McBride has recently been appointed head of the SSA’s foreign branch, and Dlodlo says this will aid the agency’s response:

“I worked with Robert therefore I know how conscientious and industrious a worker he is. I have no doubt this is the best appointment we made,” Dlodlo said.

McBride’s appointment was seen as a move to bring stability to the SSA which has been fraught with internal strife, vacancies and low morale…

Image: Alon Skuy

He will also have to review the agency’s strategy of placing spooks in foreign stations around the world.

Additionally, he will have to build and maintain relations with other foreign intelligence agencies.

McBride does have a controversial past, due in part to his former role as head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).

He will have to oversee a great deal of restructuring and fill key positions.

Let’s just hope the SSA contains the ISIS threat to our country, because that’s really the last thing we need at this point in time.

[source:news24]