Islamic State-Affiliated Militants Behead Over 30 Christians in Mozambique Attacks
Wave of terror across northern provinces targets civilians, churches, and homes as violence escalates; over 50,000 displaced amid renewed military efforts by Mozambique and Rwanda.
MOZAMBIQUE — More than 30 Christians were beheaded in September as part of a series of attacks by Islamic State-affiliated terrorists in northern Mozambique.
As reported by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP) released a set of 20 images documenting its work "executing civilians by beheading and close-range gunfire and burning down homes and churches." Multiple villages across the Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces were targeted.
Just last week, two Christians were beheaded in Chiure-Velho – an attack that the Islamic terrorists have now claimed responsibility for, along with many other attacks throughout September. Just that week, they raided a village, burning two churches and killing a Christian; set fire to two churches in another village; raided a town, killing four Christians and looting their belongings; beheaded a Christian in Macomia District; burned over 100 Christians' homes and a church in a separate village; and destroyed one church and 10 homes in another.
Along with the killings and destruction, several Christians have also been kidnapped, including women and children.
"The violence is part of an escalation that has displaced tens of thousands of civilians and prompted a renewed security alliance between Mozambique and Rwanda," the Christian Post reports. In recent weeks, at least 50,000 people have been displaced from the Chiure district.
While military leaders from Mozambique and Rwanda seek to stabilize the region and restore peace, ISMP continues its assault despite the United Nations reporting a drastic drop from 2,500 fighters to 280 earlier this year. The U.N. also estimates that more than 1 million people in northern Mozambique have been displaced since the insurgency began in 2017, along with the deaths of at least 6,200 people.
Previously, UOJ reported that over the past year, militant Islamist groups in Africa have killed more than 22,000 people, most of them Christians.
