The security environment within SADC region during the six-month period from
September 2025 to February 10, 2026, has reached a critical maturation point defined
by the tactical resilience and financial diversification of Islamic State affiliates. The
reporting period underscores a significant shift where localized insurgencies have
transformed into a networked, multi-polar threat managed through the Islamic State’s
General Directorate of Provinces (GDP). This evolution is most visible in the Republic
of Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the Islamic
State Mozambique (IS-M) and the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) have
established “parallel state” structures that challenge national sovereignty and regional
stability.