ISCAP Kills Over 55 People In Bloody Weekend In Beni Territory In DR. Congo

The past weekend at least 55 people were brutally killed in attacks orchestrated by ISCAP in Beni and Ituri in D.R. Congo in a bloody few days that saw the return of ISCAP in Beni after a down surge. The militants have in the past couple of weeks shown a slump following the state of emergency in Beni as well as increased operations by UN peacekeepers. However, the weekend activities are indicative of a group that has resurged and re-energized and conducting repeat attacks in the same vicinity which has led to the deaths and displacement of more people in the restive Beni territory.

Weekend ISCAP Terror events in DRC

1. 06^th Aug- 10 civilians either shot or hacked with machetes to death and 4 injured in an ISCAP attack in Mbingi village near Mamove locality in Beni.
2. 06^th Aug- 5 people killed by jihadists in Mapasana village near Mamove in Beni.
3. 07^th Aug- 6 people killed by ISCAP in Ntombi Village near Beni
4. 08^th Aug- another 22 people were killed by ISCAP in Ntombi Village near Beni in the second attack in the same area in less than 24 hours.
5. 8^th Aug- at least 2 people were killed by ISCAP in Kasoko village in Ituri; houses were burnt and shops pillaged.
6. 08^th Aug- ISCAP militants and the Congolese military clashed near Semuliki bridge on Beni-Kasindi Road
7. 09^th Aug- 10 people were killed by ISCAP militants in Kamango village in Beni.

The Congolese army announced on Friday that it had lost at least 2,000 soldiers since October 2014 in the Beni region, DRC, in fighting against Ugandan-born rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) who are currently identified as ISCAP. The numbers are expected to even go higher as the group keeps resurging and morphing to inflict the most harm on the troops and civilians and reducing casualties on their side. The recent use of IEDs especially in Beni has introduced a new variable that makes the group even more lethal than previously and requiring immediate action.

The return of the ISCAP activities and attacks in Beni which had seemingly stalled is an indicator that the group which continues to attack FARDC and other security personnel in Beni is fearless and requires an adjustment in the CT offensive tactics to protect the civilian population as well as ensure that collaborators and sympathizers are rooted out. Furthermore, the distrust between the government and residents has persistently caused a breakdown in intelligence and as such while the state of emergency offered temporary relief to the citizens it did not fix the underlying issues which ISCAP has historically taken advantage of to remain relevant.