UNITED NATIONS, June 19. /TASS/. Neo-Nazi and white supremacist movements have become the biggest threat to internal security in a number of countries, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday.

"Al-Qaida and Da’esh (Islamic State, both outlawed in Russia as terrorist groups) affiliates in Africa are rapidly gaining ground in places like the Sahel and probing southward toward the Gulf of Guinea," he said at the third high-level conference of heads of counter-terrorism agencies of member states. "Neo-Nazi and white supremacist movements are fast-becoming the primary internal security threats in a number of countries. <…> this conference reminds us, when it comes to combatting terrorism, we must stand as one against this global threat."

"Criminal activities like money laundering, illegal mining, and the trafficking of arms, drugs, antiquities and human beings give it (terrorism - TASS) funding," he stressed. "Terrorism festers in the complex crises engulfing our world. From the food and energy crisis. To the growing inferno of climate change that is increasing competition for scarce resources and forcing people away from their homes."

He warned against the threat of discrimination and hatred rhetoric in the cyberspace. "While we have made some significant gains over the years, terrorism and violent extremism continue to take root and grow," he stated.