At least twelve people were killed and over 20 people kidnapped or missing following an attack by the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) branch in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The attack occurred in Nzenga village located in the Rwenzori sector, Beni in North Kivu Province.
Preliminary intelligence indicates that the night attack was facilitated by a local resident and included the killing of people with machetes or guns, looting and razing of homes, shops, and pharmacies. The terrorists conducted the attack and took off with residents as human shields to protect them from the military counter-offensive.
The attack on civilians in the Rwenzori sector comes after a seemingly down-surge in attacks against civilians in the past two weeks. The reports of the involvement of residents in the attack reinforce the fact that the group has been amercing sympathizers within the communities. While in the past, the major challenge was the lack of cooperation with authorities on the civilians the involvement in the attacks is relatively new and the group is clearly positioning itself as more than rebels in the forest.
ISCAP in DRC has been expanding and appears to have reinforcements, funding, weapons as well as trainers that have can be credited for the diversified nature of attacks from the use of IEDs, residents as well as increased frequency in attacks against the military. The threat posed by ISCAP in DRC continues to increase as the group appears to be expanding in most sectors in Beni as well as the neighbouring Ituri Province despite numerous COIN strategies by the UN mission and the Congolese security apparatus.
