South Africa: Gov't Urged to Act Over Islamic State Threat

South Africa's political forces Tuesday called the government to take action in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) over the threat that Islamic State (ISIS) is posing to the country after the terrorist organization is operating in neighbor Mozambique.

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The Democratic Alliance (DA), the country's second-largest party, said in a statement that South Africa could not afford to ignore this threat from ISIS or take its warning lightly.

As Mozambique's authorities recognized for the first time in April the presence of ISIS militants, the organization is rising an insurgency in Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique.

Recently ISIS local group members in Mozambique, known as Al-Shabaab, warned South Africa's government not to get involved in the conflict; otherwise, it will be "getting into a war that it can not afford."

"To ensure that the threat ISIS poses to South Africa, Mozambique and the rest of SADC is dealt with decisively; it is time that all SADC nations come together to strategize and collectively find solutions to the problem" the statement remarks.

As the violence in Cabo Delgado escalates, international observers said that Mozambique is emerging as the next Islamic State hotspot, comparing its evolution to Nigeria's terror group Boko Haram, as both extremist organizations have exploited local grievances, terrorize many communities and effectively attack government facilities.