The nexus of power of the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) has shifted from the Middle East, where the group has its roots, to Africa, with Somali-native Abdul Qadir Mumin emerging as a key figure, analysts said.
Mumin, recognizable by his henna-dyed beard and distinctive eyewear, is believed to be running ISIS's general directorate of provinces from Somalia.
"He is the most important person, the most powerful one, he is the one controlling the global ISIS network," International Centre for the Study of Radicalization fellow Tore Hamming told AFP.
This realignment of power follows successful US counterterrorism operations in Iraq and Syria that decimated ISIS's traditional leadership structure.
In Syria, US forces eliminated the group's founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in October 2019, Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi in February 2022, and Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi in October 2022.
In 2024, ISIS's Iraqi operations head Ahmad al-Ithawi was killed in a joint US-Iraqi raid, and senior ISIS official Abu Yusuf was killed in a US air strike in Syria.
These losses created a leadership vacuum, weakening ISIS's traditional power structure.
"ISIS's branches in various countries no longer follow a unified leadership," Herat-based political analyst Fazal Haq Waheed told Salaam Times.
"The group's central leadership has disintegrated," he said, adding that local leaders prioritize their personal interests.
In this fragmented landscape, Somalia has emerged as a hub for ISIS's financial operations, according to Hamming, channeling money to Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, South Africa, Yemen and Afghanistan.
Crisis of legitimacy
ISIS named Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as its fifth leader in 2023, but observers question whether he even exists.
Meanwhile, Mumin's de facto leadership violates a core ISIS doctrine requiring its leader to be an Arab with direct tribal links to Prophet Mohammad.
The supreme leader of a group so concerned with its ideological foundations "cannot be just any Somali with an orange beard," Counter Extremism Project Director Hans-Jakob Schindler told AFP.
"That would create some kind of uproar within the community of supporters and sympathizers of ISIS," he said.
Religious scholars have seized on this development to further expose ISIS's false claims to Islamic legitimacy.
"While ISIS leaders claim descent from Prophet Muhammad's (Qurashi) tribe, none of their behaviors resemble those of the Prophet," Herat-based religious scholar Mawlawi Imamuddin Faqiri told Salaam Times.
"The Prophet brought a message of peace and mercy for humanity, whereas ISIS leaders are all terrorists."
"By linking themselves to the Prophet's tribe, ISIS leaders have attempted to exploit the sentiments of Muslims," Faqiri said. "But most Muslims are aware of the ISIS leadership's nefarious agenda."