At least 21 people were killed and several others were kidnapped by Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) in the town of Lisasa in the Beni territory in D.R. Congo’s province of North Kivu. The overnight attack is one in a string of incursions by the militants in the Beni region that have accelerated in the past week.
The terrorists also looted the health center where medicine, patients’ belongings, and several medical items were taken while at the same time houses were razed to the ground as has become the preferred attack mode of ISCAP in DRC. Additionally, the militants vandalized the main Catholic church in the Lisasa sector and as well as kidnapping nurses and patients.
It is evident that the repercussions of the Kangbayi prison break are beginning to be felt as it is quite likely that the attacks were orchestrated by the recently freed terrorists that were held in the prison. As ISCAP continues to gain traction and claim more territory in Beni, the more it attracts recruits from other regions in DRC as well as neighbouring countries and as such expanding the growing threat of ISIS in East and Central Africa.
It is important to note that the escalation of attacks in DRC is not unique as the same trend has been observed from the other ISCAP component in Mozambique which is an indicator of more coordination between the two ISCAP-Comprising arms than previously indicated.
