Mozambique
- 2nd Feb- at least 3 were killed, and over 15 wounded after ISCAP attacked and burned a hospital and Christian homes on Matemo Island off of the coast of Cabo Delgado.
- 5th Feb- ISCAP insurgents ambushed a military near Nova Zambezia, Macomia District killing at least 1 Mozambican soldier.
- 6th Feb- 6 people were killed in a series of attacks in Macomia town by militants.
- 6th Feb- insurgents raided Nambedo in Nangade district where they looted food and retreated. They killed one person and kidnapped at least 6 women.
- 7th Feb- ISCAP insurgents killed one civilian in the attack, burned homes, and looted food and other goods in Namuembe village, Nangade district.
- 8th Feb- ISCAP attacked Bagala village in Macomia district, killing 3 members of a local militia that is allied to the Mozambican military. Several homes and two vehicles were razed.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
- 2nd Feb- at least 26 prisoners were released after ISCAP attacked Nobili prison in Nobili town in North Kivu.
- 7th Feb- 6 people were killed and 3 motorcycles burned after the ISCAP attack in Ngubo village of the Babila Babombi chiefdom Beni.
- 10th Feb- a married couple was kidnapped from their farm in Makumo, Mambasa territory of Ituri province.
- 12th Feb- 3 people killed after insurgents attacked and burned several homes in Makumo, Mambasa territory of Ituri province.
- 16th Feb- 2 people were killed after ISCAP attacked Makeke village in Ituri; the militants burned homes and property in the village.
- 17th Feb- 1 person was killed and another kidnapped after an ambush along the Beni-Kasindi road section, near Kalembo, in the Rwenzori sector, Beni.
NOTABLES
In Mozambique, ISCAP attempted to refute the intelligence claims that have ceaselessly indicated a weakened insurgency by launching a multi-day attack in Matemo Island. The multi-day attacks that happened at the beginning of February appear to veer away from the group’s recent mode of operation. Since the incursion by the SAMIM and Rwandan forces, ISCAP has actively avoided extended operations in areas that have little tree cover to avoid direct kinetic combat with the troops. While the group arrived in boats and looted property, it is evident that the group has resulted in intimidating the residents by leaving warning graffiti saying that the allied troops are incapable of protecting the residents.
The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council announced that it will be sending a shipment of Chinese military aid to Mozambique this year to bolster SAMIM’s efforts in the country which faces significant financial and supply struggles. The shipment is part of China’s commitment to supporting African peacekeeping missions through the AU.
Local militias that have been operating to protect civilians have stepped up their operation and have been recording successes that include killing insurgents as well as driving them out of areas they have forcefully occupied. Additionally, increased cooperation between all the allied forces that have been clearing areas in CD is at an all-time high. The cooperation between all forces has led to what is being observed as enhanced success and arrests of the militants.
In DRC, the entry of Ugandan troops in Ituri province has seen the introduction of bombardments of ISCAP positions in various locations in Walese Vonkutu chiefdom where intelligence has indicated the increased number of militants. On February 9th between the Makusa and Makumo villages, in the Bangole group, 23 terrorists were neutralized by the army. The success recorded in DRC is in part due to the morale boost on the Congolese troops from their Ugandan counterparts who are revitalized and better equipped.
The arrest of a Tanzanian national in the Rwenzori sector by security forces continues to reaffirm previous intelligence that revealed the growing number of foreign fighters within ISCAP’s ranks in Beni and Ituri. The presence of foreign fighters is a clear indication that ISCAP has a growing reach in the region and as such should be approached with the necessary vigor by all the neighbors in order to avoid the establishment of a vast caliphate as is the mandate if ISIS-central.
