Weekend Event summary:
- Friday: At least 6 people were killed and several others kidnapped by ISCAP terrorists in a double attack in the villages of Mataha and Kotokola in the chiefdom of Walese Vonkutu in the south of the territory Irumu, in Ituri province.
- Friday: at least five people were killed and several others kidnapped in the village of Hotel-Bega in the chiefdom of Walese Vonkutu, Irumu territory; victims killed in the Itilemba river majority being farmers ambushed in their farms.
- Saturday: At least six people were killed in an attack by ISCAP-DRC in the village of Tuabamba, in the chiefdom of Walese Vonkutu, in the territory of Irumu in Ituri.
- Sunday: 5 other lifeless bodies have just been discovered in Tuabamba, Irumu bringing the death toll to 11.
At least 22 people were killed by ISCAP –DRC in the chiefdom of Walese Vonkutu in Irumu Territory in a series of attacks over the weekend. The attacks after the terror organization as an FTO by the US and is in line with intelligence that reports of an invigorated group that is seeking to capture and hold territory in northeastern DRC.
The terror organization has established major encampments in Irumu and has been amercing territory by driving out residents, looting, and kidnapping locals and it is evident that the group is expanding from North Kivu and into Ituri Province. While the military has been launching operations, they seem to be overpowered by the growing insurgency and more often than not acting late despite warning from residents on impending attacks.
Additionally, the recent designation is a major confidence booster to the group as it is steadily being legitimized and that fact alone could make it more attractive to jihadists in the Greater Lakes Region
ISCAP- DRC is stepping up its efforts in the recent weeks as a way to garner recognition from a resurging ISIS-Central in Iraq and Syria and as such COIN and CT efforts should be strewn to ensure that the group doesn’t expand further and that the existing cells are dismantled before they take route and be used as launch-pads to extend into other parts of the country.
