Bi-Weekly Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Brief for East and Central Africa (Somalia, Mozambique, DR-Congo, Tanzania, Uganda): Tracking Islamic State Terrorists in 1st March- 17th March 2022

The past two weeks have been especially significant for the Islamic State seeing as it marked the beginning of the new leadership following the deaths of the Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraysh and spokesman Abu Hamza Al-Quraysh. Thus, various provinces across the globe have been pledging allegiance to the new leader which has conversely seen a spike in group’s activities as they seek favor and approval from the new leadership.   

The entry of new leaders has been seen to have reinvigorated the activities of the various branches of IS and as COIN actors ought to re-evaluate strategies and especially in DRC and Mozambique, it is evident that combat solutions alone are not all the way effective and has instead motivated the morphing of the group to be adaptable.

INCIDENT REPORT

Mozambique

• 6^th Mar- at least one Mozambican soldier was killed by ISCAP in Nova Zambezia, Macomia district, and a large supply of military equipment, including automatic weapons, ammunition, and rocket-propelled grenades were captured.
• 10^th Mar- at least one Mozambican soldier was killed and several injured after ISCA militants attacked their position with automatic weapons in Nova Zambezia village in Macomia district.
• 11^th Mar- militants attacked Namuembe village, Nangade district where the local authorities had announced mop-up operations.
• 16^th Mar- ISCAPmilitants attacked Matemo Island, Quirimba Archipelago Islands, off the Ibo Peninsula; intelligence reports continued shootings with automatic weapons. They claimed to have killed at least 7 soldiers.

DRC

• 4^th Mar- 1 person killed several injured and others kidnapped following an ISCAP attack in Budibuya village, Watalinga chiefdom, Beni territory.
• 7^th Mar- an ISCAP ambush by ISCAP resulted in the death of 1 person and the burning of 2 cars and a motorcycle in the road that links Kasindi and Butembo in North Kivu.
• 9^th Mar- 6 people were killed with machetes in Kithiri village near Kavasewa in Bashu chiefdom in Beni. Houses were burned to the ground and looted as well as a couple of people were kidnapped.
• 9^th Mar- 3 people were brutally killed by ISCAP in Mambelenga village, Walese Vonkutu, Irumu territory.
• 11^th Mar- 5 civilians were killed by ISCAP terrorists in Kisanga village located on the border between Irumu and Beni territories.
• 12^th Mar- 27 people killed, several houses and motorcycles burned, several people, missing in Mambumembume village, Mamove.
• 12^th Ma- 5 people were killed by ISCAP in several villages in Mamove as the terrorists escaped.
• 15^th Mar- 52 people were killed ISCAP in 3 villages in Irumu territory in Ituri province, Bandavilemba grouping, Walese Vonkutu chiefdom. The massacre occurred in Otambare, Ndimo, and Apende villages where the victims were savagely killed with machetes.
• 16^th Mar- 6 Christians and 1 soldier were killed in an ISCAP attack in Kamango, Beni
• 16^th Mar- A taxi driver and his client were killed by suspected ADF in Katabeyi, chiefdom of Walese Vonkutu, Irumu.
• 16^th Mar- 2 people were killed and 12 houses burned down by ISCAP militants in a new incursion in Kisuhi Village, Rwenzori sector.

SOMALIA

• 11^th Mar- ISS released photos pledging allegiance to the new leader Abu Hassan al-Hashimi al-Quraysh.
• 12^th Mar- ISS claimed an IED attack on a Somali national Army Patrol in Takinli Area in Mogadishu where at least 1 soldier was injured.

NOTABLES & CONCLUSION

Tanzania

Southern African Development Community (SADC) announced that it had set up a Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre (RCTC) in Tanzania that would coordinate the region’s counterterrorism efforts. The center is part of the 16-member bloc’s 2015 resolutions to adopt regional efforts against terrorism, violent extremism, and organized crimes. The center comes at a time when the SADC states extended the mandate of the regional troop deployment fighting insurgents in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado in January. The bloc agreed to send troops to help the growing threat posed by the ISCAP insurgency that has affected Mozambique and threatening to spread to the neighboring nations especially Tanzania.

Somalia

The released photo packets by the various provinces of ISIS have given insight into the groups’ demographic, weaponry, and even a rough estimate of the number of militants. In Somalia, the group appears to have amerced more fighters, with better weaponry as well as the presence of child soldiers as is the case with the ISCAP branches. This has contradicted the previous speculation that that group is dwindling and retreating into the mountain while the photos clearly show an organization that has restricted as well as better armed which could pose a great threat in Somalia especially seeing that SI analysts have indicated that the group could have a substantial number of fighters in the south of Somalia, especially in the capital, Mogadishu.

Mozambique

In Mozambique, despite the period herein mentioned recording fewer attacks, there have been setbacks in the return to normalcy in the areas ‘cleared’ of militants seeing as the group has adopted new tactics that attacked already rescued areas and as such stop, the residents return to their homes. The cases have been observed in Nangade and Macomia districts where the Mozambican authorities announce the defeat of ISCAP in the districts giving the green light for the return of civilians only for a new wave of attacks to emerge in the same presumed safe areas. Additionally, according to security sources, the increase of insurgency infiltration into the communities occurs at a time of great shortage of supplies and starvation in the insurgency. The insurgents send their relatives to the communities, where apart from pretending to be displaced people, they carry out espionage actions, by identifying possible areas to be targets of attacks.

On 1 March, the US State Department designated four ISIS and ISCAP-Mozambique financial facilitators in South Africa. The four men, Farhad Hoomer, Siraaj Miller, Abdella Hussein Abadigga, and Peter Charles Mbaga are accused of helping to transfer funds from the IS hierarchy to branches across Africa or have served as leaders of ISIS cells in South Africa. Mbaga was specifically identified as having facilitated funds transfers from South Africa and provided support to ISCAP in Mozambique to procure equipment from South Africa.

DRC

Civilians have expressed outrage at the continued state of siege in the North Kivu anD Ituri where ISCAP is active and appears to have not slowed down. Statistics indicate that over 2500 people have been killed since the siege began which is an average of 7 people per day. The worrying statistics are despite the deployment of the joint Ugandan-Congolese troops and as such triggering the urgent need to reevaluate the strategies and operational areas and effectiveness of the mission.

Intelligence has further reiterated the presence of foreign fighters within the top ranks of the ISCAP leadership. Evidenced by the recent killing of a commander believed to be of Somali descent and another of Tanzanian this year. It is clear that the group poses a great threat not only to DRC but also to the East African region and prompts the need to fill the CT cooperation vacuum with the neighboring countries.