Funding unrest: Hezbollah and Israel's financial ties to Africa
Hezbollah and Israel are raising money in Africa to fund conflicts in Lebanon. Hezbollah receives funds from Lebanese people residing in West Africa, while Israel profits from trading African diamonds.
The number of Lebanese living in Africa, mainly in its western part, is estimated at around 250,000. By African standards, they are considered affluent, with many being extremely wealthy individuals.
Hezbollah, largely sponsored by Iran, finances its conflict with Israel partly through donations from Lebanese communities across Africa. These contributions are officially designated for orphanages, clinics, or summer camps for orphans run by the organisation in Lebanon.
As a recognised religious organisation, Hezbollah also benefits from zakat, an informal, annually obligatory payment made by all Muslims, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. According to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), Hezbollah utilises both zakat and donations for acquiring weapons and assisting in training Palestinians.
According to the US State Department, the organisation also benefits from drug trafficking, smuggling, and extensive money laundering.
Over the past decade, the US has frequently accused certain African Lebanese individuals of raising funds for Hezbollah. Sanctions have been imposed on many Lebanese citizens residing in Gambia, Guinea, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Côte d'Ivoire.
West Africa has gained a notorious reputation as a money laundering hub for Hezbollah. This is facilitated by the widespread use of cash and informal transfers conducted through personal networks rather than banks, which remain beyond official control in many African countries. In Liberia, where Lebanese people form the largest ethnic minority, a requirement to formally declare money brought into or taken out of the airport was introduced only in September this year.
According to the US Treasury Department, the main hub for money transfers in Africa is Côte d'Ivoire, where the Lebanese diaspora is believed to be the largest, with an estimated population of about 100,000 people.
Israel buys African diamonds
Israel also supports conflicts in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon with resources from Africa. This is mainly achieved through African diamonds, polished in Israel and sold on global markets. Hostile stances towards Israel from South Africa and Namibia do not impede the trade.
Despite calling for an international boycott of Israel, both countries sell diamonds to it without hesitation. For Namibia, diamonds are the largest source of export revenue, accounting for at least 10% of GDP. In 2022, Namibia exported approximately £47 million to Israel, mainly diamonds, and imported goods worth roughly £3 million from Israel, primarily equipment for polishing them.
The same year, South Africa sold diamonds worth over £74 million to Israel. From 2010 to 2022, the export of polished diamonds is estimated to have brought over £82 billion to the Israeli economy.
Media outlets hostile to Israel, especially those in Arab and Turkish regions, suggest that the country also acquires so-called blood or "conflict" diamonds from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which are embargoed. An indirect proof of this is that Israel remains one of the world's five largest exporters of polished diamonds despite having no diamond resources.
