Bi-Weekly Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Brief for East and Central Africa (Somalia, Mozambique, DR-Congo, Tanzania, Uganda): Tracking Islamic State Terrorists From 1st June to 16th June 2022

INCIDENT REPORT

MOZAMBIQUE

• 16^th June- 4 people were beheaded by militants and bodies were left on the road in Malamba village in Nangade.
• 15^th June- IS-MOZ attacked Mieze town in the Pemba district as the group continues to advance south.
• 14^th June- 2 Christians were beheaded and a church burned to the ground after militants attacked Mankani and Mikolini villages in the Shior Area.
• 13^th June- two Christian men were captured and beheaded in Nipataku village in Ancuabe district by IS-MOZ terrorists.
• 13^th June- IS-MOZ claimed an attack in the Chiúre district where they are said to have killed 2 people and 70 houses.
• 10^th June- a Mozambican military patrol was attacked by militants armed with automatic weapons; two soldiers were killed and several others were wounded. The militants made away with weapons and ammo.
• 9^th June- insurgents appeared at the village of Ntutupue, about 55 km west of Pemba, where local sources report that they encountered two civilians, beheaded one, and instructed the other to report what had happened.
• 9^th June- a Christian village was attacked where militants massacred two people and burned 20 of their houses. The attack occurred in the village of Namilombe, in the Macomia district.
• 9^th June– insurgents and security forces clashed outside Quinto Congresso where two soldiers were killed and several others injured and weapons and ammo seized.
• 8^th June- militants attacked Grafex company, a graphite factory in Silava Macua, Ancuabe district. They beheaded two guards at the company.
• 7^th June- civilians were forced to flee after militants attacked and burned houses in Chai in Macomia.
• 5^th June- many homes were burned to the ground after militants attacked Nandoli village as the group appears to have extended its operations in the Ancuabe district of CD.
• 1^ST June- Jihadists ambushed a dried fish truck, and kidnapped and murdered several passengers, in Inidade, Mocímboa da Praia, Cabo Delgado.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

• 15^th June- 2 people were killed and at least 20 houses burned by militants in Mambelenga village in Walese Vonkutu, Ituri.
• 15^th June- two people were killed and several homes burned in an attack in Mamiki near Oicha city in Beni.
• 14^th June- a Congolese soldier was killed and his weapon seized following an attack by ISCAP in Tinambo village near Oicha in Beni.
• 13th June- ISCAP DR-Congo attacked a FARDC Camp at Makembe in northern Kivu in the area bordering Uganda.
• 12^th June- at least 10 people were brutally killed with machine guns and 8 motorcycles burned in an attack in Urouro and Opira villages, in the locality of Mayimoya, the territory of Beni.
• 8^th June- A Ugandan Army foot patrol was targeted by ISCAP militants with machine guns in Kenya Mbhuli Village, in the Rwenzori sector, Beni. Several of the soldiers were killed and wounded in the attack.
• 5^th June- At least 20 people were massacred and their houses razed to the ground by ISCAP jihadists in the village of Bwanasura in Otomabere in the territory of Irumu in Ituri Province.
• 4^th June- a Congolese military barracks in Erengeti, Beni was attacked by militants; a rocket launcher, a mortar, and ammunition were seized. The militants also burned the barracks.
• 1^st June- 3 people were killed and 5 houses burned in an ISCAP attack in Kabalwa village in the Rwenzori sector.

SOMALIA

• 3^rd June- a police checkpoint was attacked with a hand grenade in Hilwa, Mogadishu. One person was injured in the attack.

NOTABLES

MOZAMBIQUE

In Mozambique, attacks appear to indicate that the insurgents are working towards capturing southern territory and closer to Pemba. Pemba has long been considered to be a safe haven in the province, but the recent bout of armed incursions in surrounding towns and villages has changed the risk status of Pemba. The militants have been moving in smaller cells that are mostly used for stealth operations which often include killings, looting, and arson before retreating to the forest. The recent attacks and propaganda images come as intelligence indicates that the militants have been establishing bases in the forest between Meluco and Macomia districts.

Additionally, contrary to the information released by Mozambique’s official channels, HUMINT indicates that the group is well prepared, with supplies and numbers, and appears to be gearing itself to advance further south into Pemba. Pemba is the main command and logistical hub SAMIM. While the militants appear to be headed south it is crucial to note that with the attention of the allied troops scattered, areas in the north and central that have been liberated from the militants are left vulnerable to resurgence and reoccupation by the militants.

DRC

Intelligence indicates that the increasing attacks in Ituri are being launched and coordinated from new bases that have since been erected in Monge hill and other strongholds in several villages in Walese Vonkutu chiefdom. ISCAP has set up new positions in the western part in Mutueyi, Kasoko, Akwekwe, Ntume, and Monge on the hill of Butani called Madina 2″.

Tensions continue to rise between Rwanda and DRC as Kinshasa accuses Kigali of deploying at least 500 troops on its soil. The accusation comes amid a sharp deterioration of relations between the countries over the recent resurgence of the M23 militia in the DRC’s volatile east.

MONUSCO provided technical and scientific police in Beni, North Kivu, with equipment to prevent bomb attacks in the city. They include 40 telescopic mirrors for the search and inspection of vehicles but also a hundred portable metal detectors that will aid in the fight against ISCAP.