Islamic Militants Kill Scores Of Christians In Mozambique; Thousands Displaced (Worthy News In-Depth)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

NIAMEY (Worthy News) – Islamic militants have killed scores of Christians in Mozambique in recent weeks, including more than 30 believers who were found beheaded, while numerous churches and homes were burned down, leaving thousands displaced, Worthy News established Monday.

Additionally, fighters linked to the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, have warned Christians in Mozambique and elsewhere in Africa to convert to Islam and pay the Islamic “jizya” tax or face “death and expulsion,” said sources familiar with the situation.

They also praised the violence against Christians of the “jihad” in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while urging European followers to “exact a [similar] divine verdict” against Christians in Europe.

Analysts fear such rhetoric could trigger further violence across sub-Saharan Africa, where Islamist groups have intensified their campaigns.

The more gruesome attacks included beheadings apparently carried out by the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP), an affiliate of the Islamic State, which has claimed responsibility for attacks on Christian civilians late last month in the northern part of Mozambique, often in Cabo Delgado province.

30 BEHEADINGS

The respected Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) said it recorded more than 30 beheadings, with ISMP releasing photos showing militants killing people and setting fire to churches and homes across several villages last month.

On September 30, ISMP claimed responsibility for a raid on Nakioto village in the Mimba District of Nampula Province, where one church and more than 100 Christian homes were burned down, noted the MEMRI report.

It added that the group is also suspected to have attacked Minhanha, another village in the same province, burning down one church and around 10 Christian homes.

The day before, ISMP fighters said they captured and beheaded a Christian in the Macomia District of Cabo Delgado Province, having burned 23 homes and a church in the village of Mahip in Montepuez on September 28.

On September 26, the group reportedly shot and killed a Christian and burned down two churches in the village of Nacocha, in Cabo Delgado’s Chiure District, before setting fire to two churches in the town of Nacussa, in the same district.

The day before, ISMP said it had captured and beheaded two Christians in nearby Chiure-Velho. On September 23, ISMP said it set fire to a Christian home in the village of Nabatini, in Cabo Delgado’s Montepuez District, as part of broader attacks, including dozens of beheadings

NEW ATTACKS

The killings continued this month when “a new wave of jihadist attacks” in northern Mozambique left at least 20 Christians dead and thousands displaced, as militants linked to the Islamic State continue to target Christian communities, churches, and homes, said international Christian advocacy group Open Doors.

The coordinated strikes, attributed to Ahlu Sunnah wa Jama’ah (known locally as al-Shabaab), devastated the Christian-majority community of Napala village in Chiúre District, part of the conflict-ridden Cabo Delgado Province, Christians said.

The violence in the area, which erupted earlier this month, reportedly left 1,300 homes and two churches burned to the ground, forcing around 2,000 people to flee.

Christian residents say the onslaught intensified after Mozambique’s Defence and Security Forces (FDS) retreated from the area, leaving communities exposed.

A local pastor told Open Doors: “Everything got worse when the FDS tried to intervene without success. When they fled, they left everything worse for those people.”

Similarly, a community leader told Open Doors: “Since the military were already in confrontation with terrorists, after they retreated, al-Shabaab continued with great fury and attacks which caused all houses to be destroyed.”

ELDERLY WOMEN

Among those killed were four elderly Christian women who were tied up and set on fire inside a house, according to witnesses.

This is the latest episode in an eight-year insurgency that has ravaged northern Mozambique since 2017. The conflict has already claimed more than 6,000 lives and displaced over one million people, according to conflict monitors.

Mozambique is also listed as the 37th most dangerous country for Christians, Open Doors said. “The rise of Islamist extremism in the north of the country, especially in regions such as Cabo Delgado, has had a devastating impact on the lives of believers,” added the organization. “Churches have been burned down, pastors abducted, and many killed.”

The Mozambican government’s response to the latest wave of attacks remains a subject of international scrutiny.

Despite ongoing military operations with regional and international partners, the frequency and brutality of Islamist attacks have persisted in northern Mozambique, according to local Christians and analysts

“The objective of the Islamic extremist groups active in Mozambique is to establish a strict Islamic state, and Christians are often targeted as symbols of resistance to this extremist ideology,” Open Doors confirmed.

TIGHTENING SECURITY?

Mozambique authorities have sought the help of other African nations to curb the rise in extremism in the country. Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo said on September 25: “There is no doubt that today security in Cabo Delgado has improved, compared to three or four years ago, because there are basic conditions for the movement of people and goods in relative safety, despite sporadic attacks by terrorists.”

He told an Armed Defense Forces of Mozambique (FADM) event in southern Mozambique: “Reality tells us that this effort has not been enough… We want to direct the three pillars of the Defense and Security Forces to find strategies to eradicate terrorism in our country.”

However, Christian advocacy groups have warned that the government’s proposed “Religious Regulation Law” could worsen persecution. The draft law, they said, would impose strict government oversight on religious groups, requiring churches to collect thousands of signatures for registration — a requirement that does not apply to Islamic institutions.

Organisations, including Open Doors, the World Evangelical Alliance, and the Evangelical Association of Mozambique, appealed to the government to withdraw the proposal.

“The Church in Mozambique is enduring deep trauma,” a local Open Doors contact said. “Many believers and leaders live with fear, intimidation, and emotional exhaustion. Although there remains a genuine desire to serve Christ, fear continues to weaken the church’s public witness in many areas. But God’s working in these hotspot areas, in ways that are hard to explain.”

The ongoing violence underscores the urgency of Open Doors’ Arise Africa campaign, which calls on Christians worldwide to pray, advocate, and act “for those persecuted” across the continent.

Churches are also preparing for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on November 2, and a 12-hour vigil has been planned in Britain and worldwide, according to organizers.

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