Until recently, the only details of Quds Force ops in central Africa came from uncorroborated claims and sporadic Western intelligence briefings. Now, UN investigators have pieced together the nuts and bolts of a murky plot to spread Tehran's reach into the heart of Africa /1
At its heart was a well-connected middleman called Ismael Djidah who had made a name for himself as a shrewd operator who could fix meetings with warlords, mercenaries and arms smugglers in the rebel-riven borderlands of CAR, Chad and Sudan 
In Darfur, from around 2005, he became a close associate of Michel Djotodia, then CAR’s consul and later chief rebel of the Seleka coalition. Djidah helped connect him with Chadian and Sudanese militias, but then Djotodia rebelled against CAR’s president and was exiled to Benin
Djotodia was detained there but received help from Djidah, and after his release returned to CAR, drew on his militant network and in 2013 seized power in a coup. He appointed Djidah presidential adviser but was exiled again in 2014, returning to Benin, accompanied by Djidah
It appears that Djidah came on the radar of Quds Forces from this point. One of his first meetings with their operatives was in December 2016 on Kish Island, an Iranian resort of glitzy malls and white sand beaches in the Persian Gulf. He was there for just one one day
According to UN investigators, security officials and diplomatic sources—as well as Djidah’s own testimony—the plan was to set up terrorist cells in Africa that would attack attack US and other Western targets including military bases, embassies and officials
Known as the “Zahraa Brigade” and reportedly financed by hundreds of thousands of dollars, Djidah—believed to be around 50 and most likely Chadian—went on to recruit around 30 and 40 militants from CAR rebel groups for this shadowy network. The objective was to recruit up to 300
Corroborated by UN sources, Djidah confessed to receiving between $12,000 and $20,000 from Quds Force personnel during each trip to Iran, Lebanon and Iraq. Here he is on the seafront in Beirut in September 2017
His trips to Lebanon and Iraq between 2017 and 2018 are revealed in visas, airline documents and hotel bills. Besides his CAR diplomatic passport, Djidah is believed to have also used a fake Nigerian one
30 to 40 "Zahraa Brigade" militants allegedly traveled to Lebanon, Iraq & Syria in 2017/18 for training at Iran-run camps. While unable to verify the full amount, UN investigators confirmed the travels of 12 members to Iraq and Lebanon (base of Iran-backed Hezbollah)
NB: while Djidah claimed these men were from armed ex-Seleka groups, there is every possibility they were just bored, regular guys picked up from IDP camps and the region's poor, marginalised villages. Many 'rebels' there hold down normal jobs outside of insurgent activities
CAR's lawless north-east was Djidah's stomping ground. I was in this rebel-held corner of the country a few months back. Here are some sights and people I met (please note: no suggestion at all that those pictured are connected to his plot)
This came to an end when Chadian security forces arrested Djidah. Part of his testimony was leaked in April 2019. “We want to create an army to fight against Westerners in Africa,” he said. UN investigators have spent months corroborating his claims: undocs.org/S/2019/930
The UN report describes "an agreement in which Djotodia was a) to receive Quds Force support to reclaim power in CAR and b) to establish a special unit to carry out violent acts in African countries" but says it could not confirm this. Both Djotodia & Iran refutes the allegations
While Western intel would have an interest in spreading the anti-Iran claims made by Djotodia, UN investigators found no evidence that he was coerced or paid to make the allegations, the credibility of which was bolstered by papers confirming his repeated travels to Middle East
So, was Djidah a hardened anti-Western operative with an Islamist agenda—or just an opportunist? My inkling is the latter. CAR has long been feared a potential haven for jihadists but the reality is that conflict there is less about religious ideology, far more about profiteering
Here's my @Telegraph piece on the full story. And this won't be the end of such ops. The new Quds Force commander, Ismail Qaani, has been a key point of contact between Tehran and African states and is likely to keep tilting strategy towards the continent telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/1…
@Telegraph Djidah's current location is unknown.
