The Growing Threat of Hezbollah in Africa – Jewish Policy Center

The IDF is battling Hezbollah in Lebanon to allow Israel’s 85,000 displaced citizens to return safely to their homes. Less well known is the significant security challenge that Hezbollah poses to Israel and the United States in Africa. Hezbollah, with Iran’s support, has steadily expanded its financial and operational presence on the African continent and established networks that can be weaponized against Western interests. This development poses a direct threat not only to Israel and the US, but also to the stability of fragile African states where Hezbollah has built strongholds.

Iranian proxy in Africa

Iran’s hegemonic ambitions in the Middle East are well known, but its influence extends far beyond the region. Using Hezbollah as a proxy, Iran has invaded several Latin American states. In African countries, Iran is exploiting weak institutions and porous borders to gain a foothold for Hezbollah. While Hezbollah’s primary focus is still on the Middle East, its financial and logistics networks in Africa are part of a broader strategy to gain global influence. Hezbollah is involved in drug trafficking and terrorism. If the conflict with Israel or the US intensifies, Tehran could use the acquired resources to hit Western interests in Africa, expanding the scope of hostilities in the Middle East.

Hezbollah’s financial networks in West Africa

One of Hezbollah’s most effective tools in Africa is its ability to build financial networks, often through the Lebanese diaspora. In countries such as Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Hezbollah affiliates have taken root, generating significant financial resources that flow back to the group’s central command in Lebanon.

An example of Hezbollah’s financial operations in Africa is Kassim Tajideen, a prominent businessman of Lebanese descent who used his commercial empire in Guinea and Sierra Leone to funnel money back to Hezbollah. Tajideen’s businesses were involved in food distribution, telecommunications and real estate, providing vital revenue streams. In 2009, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Tajideen for his role as a financier of Hezbollah, and he was later extradited to the US to face money laundering activities throughout West Africa. His companies not only provided direct financial support to Hezbollah, but also engaged in illegal activities such as smuggling and tax evasion.

Hezbollah has also built a strong financial presence in Gambia, where the group has exploited the country’s financial sector to launder money. In 2010, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Euro African Group, a Gambia-based company led by Hussein Tajideen, Kassim Tajideen’s brother. According to U.S. intelligence, the group worked closely with other Hezbollah backers across West Africa to funnel millions of dollars back to Lebanon; the profits have been used to finance Hezbollah’s military activities.

Hezbollah’s diamond trade in the DRC

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Hezbollah engages in the illicit diamond trade, taking advantage of the country’s weak regulatory environment to smuggle diamonds out of conflict zones. These diamonds, once sold on the international market, provide Hezbollah with a steady flow of liquidity. The diamond trade is particularly valuable to Hezbollah because it allows the group to avoid international financial sanctions. US intelligence agencies have documented Hezbollah’s involvement in the trade and linked it to operatives in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi who act as middlemen for diamonds destined for Hezbollah’s financial networks.

Hezbollah’s criminal syndicates in Africa

Hezbollah’s financial networks in Africa are also linked to its global criminal operations. In 2011, Ayman Joumaa, a Hezbollah operative, was indicted by the US for laundering drug money from Latin American cartels in West African countries. Joumaa’s network was involved in shipping cocaine from South America to West Africa, with the proceeds funneled to Hezbollah through various money laundering schemes. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has documented Hezbollah’s ties to South American drug cartels, using West Africa as a transit port for narcotics. These gains have been crucial in maintaining Hezbollah’s central position in Lebanese politics and military build-up.

Hezbollah’s involvement in charity networks

Another way Hezbollah has built its financial presence in Africa is through charitable organizations that serve as a fundraising front, similar to the modus operandi on other continents. In Nigeria, Hezbollah-affiliated charities have raised money under the guise of supporting the Lebanese diaspora, but are in reality key components of Hezbollah’s financial networks. One such organization, the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, has been identified by US authorities as a financial front for Hezbollah.

Hezbollah cooperates with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)

The Houthis, an Iranian proxy in Yemen, have taken advantage of the presence of Hezbollah operatives to learn how to operate Iranian missiles that play a key role in blocking the Bab el Mandeb Strait, a key international waterway. Their location gives them greater influence in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.

The IRGC, and especially its elite Quds Force, plays a central role in Iranian expansionism in Sudan, along the Red Sea. This partnership has implications for Sudan. Recently, the IRGC has forged close ties with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Sudanese army, which is embroiled in a civil war. In exchange for military support such as drones and advanced weapons, Iran is reportedly trying to establish a naval base in Port Sudan. If successful, this base would provide Iran and Hezbollah with a new platform from which to launch attacks on Israeli and Western targets in the region. Sudan’s strategic location on the Red Sea is crucial. It provides access to international shipping lanes and acts as a gateway for IRGC and Hezbollah operations deeper in Africa. Through Hezbollah’s financial and logistical networks, supported by IRGC operatives, Iran can project power in a new African arena. This collaboration allows the IRGC to harm US and Israeli interests in Africa while maintaining plausible deniability. The IRGC-Hezbollah partnership thus poses a direct threat to U.S. national security as these actors seek to establish a contiguous zone of influence from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, enveloping some of Africa’s most vulnerable states.

US intelligence and law enforcement investigations

US authorities have conducted several high-profile investigations and prosecutions against Hezbollah’s operations in Africa, focusing on drug trafficking and money laundering. Here are some key examples:

1. Joumaa Network Investigation (2011): The US Treasury Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) launched a major operation against the Hezbollah-affiliated Ayman Joumaa Network, which was involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. Joumaa’s network facilitated the transport of cocaine from South America through West Africa to Europe, laundering up to $200 million monthly for Mexican and Colombian cartels on behalf of Hezbollah.

2. Hezbollah’s African car smuggling and money laundering scheme (2017): Lebanese businessman Oussama Salhab, based in Togo, was identified as a key figure in using the African used car market to launder drug money. Investigations revealed that Salhab’s transportation company moved used cars from the US to Africa, laundering the proceeds and sending them back to Hezbollah.

3. Directions from the U.S. Department of the Treasury: The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on Hezbollah financiers operating in Africa, including Adham Tabaja, who owns companies in Lebanon and West Africa, which are linked to Hezbollah’s financing companies.

Conclusion

Hezbollah’s extensive financial and operational networks in Africa, backed by the IRGC, pose a growing threat to US and Western interests. The group’s ability to generate revenue through illegal activities provides it with the means to continue its military operations and prepare for future conflicts. As tensions between Iran, Israel and the US continue to rise, Hezbollah could use its African networks to launch attacks on Western interests, making the continent a new battleground in the broader geopolitical struggle. Addressing this threat will require a coordinated effort among the U.S., Israeli and African governments to disrupt Hezbollah’s financial networks and prevent the group from using Africa as a springboard for its future operations. The US must adopt a more active strategy in Africa that includes security, economic development and diplomatic engagement to counter the influence of Iran and Hezbollah. The US should take advantage of Hezbollah’s weakened position due to Israel’s recent attacks. The war against Hezbollah is another facet of Israel’s fight against the enemies of the West.

The author thanks research assistant Meir Shapira, an intern at JISS.