Bi-Weekly Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Brief for East and Central Africa (Somalia, Mozambique, DR-Congo): Tracking Islamic State Terrorists in Period of 26th July- 6th August 2021

ISCAP Attacks in Mozambique and DRC (26^th July- 6^th August 2021)

Mozambique

• 26^th July- Rwandan forces killed 5 insurgents and captured weapons in an engagement at Awasse.
• 27^th July- 2 insurgents were killed after they were ambushed by RDF operating south of Awasse in Chinda, Mocimboa da Praia district.
• 27^th July- ISCAP insurgents attack and burned villagers’ houses in Chacamba in Nangade district.
• 28^th July- a Mozambican government barracks was attacked by ISCAP militants in Chai, Macomia; vehicles, weapons, and ammunition were seized
• 28^th July- ISCAP insurgents killed two militia members there and stole weapons and motorbikes in Mandava, Muidumbe.
• 29^th July- ISCAP militants clashed with government troops for the second day in Chai, Macomia fatalities were not reported.
• 30^th July- ISCAP militants clashed with government troops for a third consecutive day in Chai, Macomia fatalities were not reported.
• 30^th July- 3 Rwandans were wounded and 13 insurgents killed in clashes between joint Mozambican-Rwandan force and insurgents in Nova Familia in Nangade.
• 31^st July- One soldier was killed and another injured in an attack in Mandava, Muidumbe.
• 01^st Aug- several soldiers were killed and injured following an ISCAP attack in Mandava, Muidumbe.

DRC

• 5^th Aug- 8 people were killed, 4 wounded and several others kidnapped in ISCAP attack in Mbingi village near the town of Mamove, Beni.
• 4^th Aug– 3 soldiers were kidnapped by ISCAP following clashes near Mabeba, Irumi territory in Ituri province.
• 03^rd Aug– 17 people were killed, most of them beheaded by ISCAP in Idohu village in Irumi territory in Ituri province.
• 02^nd Aug– at least 16 people were killed in Zunguluka, a locality located in the middle of the forest, 35 km south of Komanda in the border area between Beni and Irumu territories.
• 30^th July– At least six people were killed during clashes between the FARDC and ISCAP, in Tsotsora, a village in the locality of Kilya, Ruwenzori sector
• 30^th July– Several soldiers were killed and others injured following clashes with ISCAP in Kokola, Rwenzori sector in Beni.
• 29^th July– ISCAP ambushed and destroyed 6 commercial trucks on the highway linking Beni and Ituri districts near Idohu, at least 1 killed, Ituri.
• 28^th July- 7 people were killed by ISCAP jihadists in Bulongo, a rural commune in Beni
• 28^th July- 7 people killed afterISCAP attacked Hurara Village located in the Malambo grouping in the Ruwenzori sector, Beni
• 27^th July- three children were killed after an IED exploded as the children were collecting firewood in Kinyajojo Village near Boga in Ituri Province.
• 26^th July- 7 FARDC soldiers died during the clashes in Katanga-Machine near Boga, in the territory of Irumu, in Ituri; 15 ISCAP militants were also neutralized in the clashes.
• 26^th July- One person was killed and others kidnapped during an incursion by ISCAP in Apyehutu, in the Rwenzori sector.

ANALYSIS, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Since the deployment of the RDF in Cabo Delgado, the war against the militants appears to have been taken to their backyard in Mocimboa da Praia and Palma where they have established their strongholds. The incident in Nova Familia appears to confirm reports that Rwandan troops have been deployed to Nangade along with Palma, Mueda, and now Awasse. The deployment is anticipated to make the necessary headway in recapturing the areas in CD that were taken over in the past and as such decapitating the operations of the group that has been conducting and reporting claims in other districts to divert the attention of the gains being made the government and allied forces.

More details have emerged on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) standby force including the authorization of deployment of up to 1,495 South African troops to Mozambique through 15 October, Botswana’s Defence Force convoy of at least 296 soldiers headed toward Cabo Delgado was spotted, Angola deployed 20 military advisors, Zimbabwe expected to send 303 military instructors to train Mozambican forces with additional financial pledges towards the operation of the regional force.

In DRC, the movement of ISCAP militants has been reported recently in the village of Livano towards Kanyihunga and Lisasa in the Ruwenzori sector in Beni territory, North Kivu. Despite the presence of FARDC, the citizenry has been urging the military to clean up the valley of the Semuliki River in Mughalika so that the rebel strongholds that are installed there are destroyed.

More than 650 FARDC soldiers ended their training on the handling of weapons and combat tactics; a training, which lasted three weeks and also included learning techniques for detecting explosive devices which have become a common occurrence in Beni. The training was mainly focused on the handling of different types of weapons and war strategies in the forest which will be necessary to overcome the armed groups in Ituri.

The mission-based with just military intervention must be complemented by socio-economic support as a sustainable level of stability in CD cannot be achieved unless the residents’ poverty standards are alleviated. It is paramount for neighbors Tanzania to join in the offensive against ISCAP seeing as the foreign fighters take up a huge population of the insurgents who also happen to be of Tanzanian descent may opt to head back home either create a stronghold there or lay low to return after the regional forces withdraw from CD. Analysts have also raised the issue of the recent deployment and the likely effectiveness in the long-term against ISCAP in CD which has demonstrated time and again urging that mobilized approaches might be more effective seeing as ISCAP is rather decentralized and take the advantage of being able to operate in both small and large groups in their attack style.