Monthly Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Brief for East and Central Africa (Somalia, Mozambique, DRC, Tanzania): Tracking Islamic State Terrorists in Period of 1st September- 30th September 2021

ISCAP Attacks in Mozambique and DRC (1^st September- 30^th September 2021)

Mozambique

• 11^th Sept– Mozambique, Rwanda, and the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) were deployed in Niassa province to pursue militants who have been retreating following the growing CT operations.
• 12^th Sept- ISCAP militants launch two IEDs targeting joint convoys of Rwanda-Mozambique near Mbau and Diaca MDP
• 12^th Sept- militants attacked and set fires in Mucojo, Macomia the fires have become a common indicator of attacks and are used to scare off residents.
• 18^th Sept- five decapitated bodies were discovered at Namalucu, Quissanga district after they were attacked by ISCAP militants fleeing Macomia
• 19^th Sept- at least 17 people were killed in three villages; Bilibiza, Nakuta, and Tapara in the Quissanga region near Pemba by ISCAP militants.
• 22^nd Sept- At least 5 ISCAP insurgents were killed following an attack on their camp in Quiterajo by the SAMIM force. 87 civilians- 60 women and 27 children were rescued from the encampment.
• 23^rd Sept- At least a dozen insurgents have been terrorizing, burning houses, and decapitating civilians in Lindi village, near the Montepuez River in Quissanga.
• 23^rd Sept- in Quissanga, 1 person was killed 2 injured after insurgents attacked two buses that had been carrying Mozambican soldiers to Macomia.
• 23^rd Sept- insurgents attacked Tapara, Bilibiza in Quissanga where homes were razed.
• 23^rd Sept- insurgent gunmen ambushed a truck carrying goods and passengers in Iba, Meluco district, injuring two people.
• 24^th Sept- insurgents burned homes in Litingina, Nangade district
• 28^th Sept- 7 civilians were beheaded in Litiminha, Mueda District by insurgents who were later attacked by Troops that killed 5 of the terrorists.
• 28^th Sept- 10 insurgents kidnapped three women from 5º Congresso in Nangade district.

DRC

• 1^st Sept- at least 80 people were injured after ISCAP militants attacked motorists setting ablaze at least 15 cars along Luna-Komanda road in Beni.
• 1^st Sept- 1 person was shot and killed in Baoba village near Tchanitchani in Beni
• 2^ND Sept- 2 people were killed and a car set on fire in Ndalya in Walese Vonkuntu chiefdom in Ituri province.
• 3^rd Sept- terrorists ambushed a Congolese military patrol with IEDs killing at least 10 people and seizing weapons and military equipment near Bashu in Beni.
• 3^rd Sept- ISCAP militants attacked the Congolese Army and seized weaponry and equipment in Oicha, Beni in North Kivu Province.
• 4^th Sept- at least 14 people were brutally killed by jihadists in Luna-Samboko village, in the south of Irumu territory in Ituri.
• 8^th Sept- at least 30 people were brutally massacred by ISCAP militants in an attack against Christians in Walese Vonkuntu chiefdom in Ituri province.
• 8^th Sept- 7 civilians were killed in an attack in the locality of Mambume in Irumu territory. The militants looted and set fire to the local market
• 10^th Sept- 4 people were killed by militants in Kivwevwe village, in the chiefdom of Bashu, Beni territory
• 11^th Sept- 9 Christians were killed and several houses burned in an attack in Banande Kainama in Beni.
• 11^th Sept- ISCAP militants attacked a Congolese military barracks in Ndimu village in Irumu, Ituri province. The militants killed 4 people and wounded several others, seized weapons and ammo as well as burned several houses in the village.
• 13^th Sept- several vehicles were burnt by ISCAP militants in Mahala village located on the Luna-Komanda axis, south of Irumu territory in Ituri province. The vehicles were part of a convoy being given a military escort by the Congolese army.
• 15^th Sept- 3 people killed, a child kidnapped and houses razed to the ground in attack in the village of Mambaka, in the chiefdom of Walese Vonkutu, Irumu territory, in Ituri.
• 16^th Sept- At least 5 civilians were killed in an ISCAP attack in the village of Muthendero, located in Isale Groupement, south of the territory of Beni.
• 23^rd Sept- 6 people killed, 10 kidnapped by ISCAP in an attack in Kamaghando and Kyarutavira in the chiefdom of Bashu, the territory of Beni.
• 23^rd Sept- nine people kidnapped by ISCAP’s new incursion on Mount Hoyo, in the Bandavilemba group, Walese Vonkutu, in the south of the territory of Irumu, Ituri.
• 24^th Sept- at least 4 people were stabbed to death, 33 houses burned to the ground in the night attacks by ISCAP militants in Komanda, Irumu territory in Ituri province.
• 24^th Sept- 2 people killed by ISCAP gunmen in Kavasewa village, Bashu chiefdom in Beni.
• 24^th Sept- at least five people were killed and a Congolese Red Cross volunteer kidnapped and 11 houses were set on fire in Komanda, Ituri.
• 26^th Sept- Congolese military barrack in Makyanga, Ituri was attacked, several soldiers killed and wounded and the barracks razed.
• 27^th Sept- a Congolese patrol unit was ambushed with automatic weapons near Bolongo, Rwenzori sector in Beni.

Tanzania

• 20^th Sept- ISCAP militants attacked the Mahurunga area located north of Palma on the Tanzanian side. They looted a shop for food items, killed the shopkeeper, and burned down a home.
• 20^th Sept- the militants who attacked the Mahurunga kidnapped several people, raped women, and beheaded 3 men who were unable to recite the shahada.
• 22^nd Sept- A reported follow-up attack in the same area near Mahurunga, with civilians, killed conducted by ISCAP likely migrating into Tanzania from Mozambique.

Somalia

• 15^th Sept- A police checkpoint was damaged after a hand grenade was hauled at it my ISS militants at the X-Control-Balad intersection in Mogadishu.
• 24^th Sept- 2 Somali police killed in a pistol attack by ISS in Yaaqshid, Mogadishu.

ANALYSIS AND INSIGHTS

In Mozambique, the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) in Mozambique kicked off in September, under commander Nuno Lemos Pires. The mission has a two-year mandate to train Mozambican navy and army Special Forces units in counterterrorism operations. The force will be able to offer the Mozambican troops the necessary training and capabilities to uphold security and sustainable peace.

SAMIM troops attacked and destroyed an insurgent base near Chitama, in southeastern Nangade district. SAMIM claimed that 17 insurgents were killed in the attack. A Tanzanian soldier was killed in the fighting, and 2 Tanzanian soldiers and 1 Basotho soldier were injured. Normalcy in most districts in CD appears to be resuming as power, communication, private investors and civilians return to areas that have been recaptured by the allied forces which is a sign that continued military presence has been offering a sense of security and hope that the region could recoup and return to its better days.

ISCAP in Mozambique, as previously projected, has been retreating and this week was characterized by an attack by the militants near Mahurunga on the Tanzanian side located north of Palma despite the increased military presence in the region. The attacks do not come as a surprise seeing as intelligence indicated that the militants retreating to hide or create camps in Tanzania was inevitable.

Civilians in most districts in Cabo Delgado are cautiously optimistic as they are afraid for the youth who are nonaligned as they have been incidents where young men are targeted by militias or military for suspicion of belonging to ISCAP which has seen cases of executions of people without due process. At least fifteen members of ISCAP deserted their ranks and surrendered to the Mozambican Forces (FDS) in Macomia district. Preliminary intelligence indicates that the deserters were from one of the terrorist bases in the Quiterajo administrative post in Macomia district which has seen increased foreign intervention.

In September, ISCAP in Mozambique has used landmines and IEDs against the foreign intervention troops in what could be a new age for the militants who have consistently used brawls, gunfights, and beheadings as the primary mode of attacks. This new development could be game-changing seeing as the group has a geographical advantage and as such, they can attack the troops while maintaining low casualties on their side.

In DRC a Middle Eastern National was arrested for ties to ISCAP and was reportedly training the fighters in drone use in Makisabo, Near Beni. If true this is a development that would move the war onto a new plane as drones would give the militants an edge that would make them remain ahead of the security actors, evade capture, and conduct attacks with more precision due to adequate reconnaissance. In the past, intelligence has indicated that ISCAP has at least two drones, and thus if confirmed, this would be the first time there will be clear evidence that ISIS-central is offering technical support to its Congo affiliate.

The residents of Beni have been demonstrating against the resurgence of the attacks especially the arson attacks on cars on the main road that joins North Kivu and Ituri Provinces. The outcry is particularly because the residents are yet to see the positive effects of the state of emergency declared in the region. The militants appear to have morphed and adapted to still conduct attacks against the civilians and military and remain elusive and evade any major attacks on them by the military and allied troops.

The threat and fear are further intensified by the recent movement of militants and the establishment of camps in Mwenda, Kikingi, and Kainama as well as along Nzobulo River in Ruwenzori sector, Tiko near Irumu Territory. The new camps are being used either as a launchpad for attacks in neighboring villages as well as transit points for the militants who have morphed to be more nomadic to avoid the attacks on large encampments by the CT efforts in the region.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Desertions in Mozambique ought to be handled carefully as they could be a battle tactic seeing as despite the reported wins by SAMIM and Rwandan troops none of the leaders have been arrested and as such the intelligence gathered ought to be filtered to ensure that the militants do not derail the CT efforts.
• The use of landmines and/or IEDs is a new development for the Cabo Delgado insurgency.  The threat is further heightened by the fact that if the group has the supplies and expertise necessary to launch similar ambushes, such attacks could be a major threat to both Mozambican troops and foreign allies.
• In DRC, The establishment of new encampments and attacks on vehicles is a trend that continues to make the attacks by the group more stealthy and lethal as limited movement of civilians makes them greater targets of attacks by the militants. Thus, DRC should leverage regional allies like Uganda and Kenya to aid in eliminating the insurgency.
• The increased kidnapping of the children and women in Beni and Ituri is a worrying trend as despite previous intelligence and photos showing a large number of children fighters in ISCAP will complicate CT operations as they could be used as a shield and by extension increase the collateral damage in the war against the insurgency.
• The Congolese military ought to move to fortify their barracks as they are repeatedly attacked and are fertile grounds for the insurgents to seize weapons and ammunition that are later used on the civilian populace.
• DRC should consider seeking out help from her neighbors using Mozambique as a case study where the insurgency has been greatly degraded by the foreign allies CT Ops. It should leverage neighbors like Uganda that have explicitly offered to deploy troops in North Kivu to deal with the ISCAP militants who have origins in Uganda.
• Tanzania has seen the return of ISCAP along the Rovuma River and this will not be the last sightings or attacks by the group. Intelligence projects that as increased pressure is put on the group in CD, they are very likely to move into Tanzania to hide or create bases in the country that has a huge number of fighters within ISCAP’s ranks.