United States lists DR Congo and Mozambique rebels as terrorists

The United States has designated rebel groups in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo as foreign terrorist organisations.

The State Department said the DRC's Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and Madina at Tauheed Wau Mujahedeen were affiliated to the jihadist group Islamic State (ISIS).

It also said Al Ansar al-Sunna, locally known as al-Shabaab in Mozambique, was also affiliated to the Islamic State group.

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The leaders of the organisations have been named as “specially designated global terrorists”.

As a result of the designations, they will face sanctions.

"Among other consequences, all property and interests in property of those designated that are subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them," the US state department said in a statement.

"The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) announced the launch of the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) in April 2019 to promote the presence of ISISassociated elements within Central, East, and Southern Africa," the statement continued.

"Although ISIS-associated media portray ISCAP as a unified structure, ISIS-DRC and ISIS-Mozambique are distinct groups with distinct origins."

The DRC's ADF and Madina at Tauheed Wau Mujahedeen groups are just two of several rebel groups operating in the east of the country, which is responsible for attacks in North Kivu and Ituri Provinces.

The United Nations said in February at least 849 civilians were killed in ADF attacks last year in North Kivu province.

The DRC's army launched an operation against the ADF in 2019.

In Mozambique, the Ansar al-Sunna group has carried out dozens of attacks in the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province.

More than 1,300 civilians have been killed since October 2017 and almost 67,000 have been displaced, the US State Department said.