More than 30 Christians were beheaded in recent attacks in northern Mozambique carried out by terrorists linked to Islamic State.
The militants targeted various villages across Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces, destroying churches and homes as part of a violent campaign against civilians.
The Islamic State Mozambique Province, or ISMP, released a set of 20 images this week that documented its fighters executing civilians by beheading and firearm, as well as burning churches and homes, MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) reported.
ISMP claimed responsibility for several assaults throughout the last week of September, including the beheading of two Christians in Chiure-Velho, Chiure District, last Thursday.
On the last Friday, militants claimed responsibility for a raid on Nacocha village in Chiure District, where a Christian was shot and killed, and two churches were burned. That day, they attacked Nacussa village in the same district, setting fire to two additional churches.
According to ISMP’s statement, fighters raided Macomia Town on Sunday, killing four Christians and looting their belongings before retreating without causing further casualties.
On Monday, ISMP announced that its operatives had beheaded a Christian in Macomia District.
The next day, the group reported an attack on Nakioto village in Nampula Province’s Mimba District, where they burned down over 100 homes and one church. In nearby Minhanha village, located in Memba District, reports indicated that one church and 10 homes were destroyed.
The Defense Post quoted a resident stating that armed men entered the neighborhood around 8 p.m., killing four people and kidnapping four others, including a woman and her two daughters. Another local reported that a young man was shot dead after refusing to surrender his father’s belongings.
ISMP is said to have carried out attacks across six districts in September, ranging from Balama in the southwest to Mocímboa da Praia in the north, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
An August update from Grey Dynamics revealed that ISIS has been operating mainly from the central districts of Cabo Delgado and advancing southward, facing little resistance along the Macomia–Awasse highway.
Mozambique’s Defense Minister admitted that recent operations had failed to contain the insurgents.
The update states that the violence has displaced at least 50,000 people from Chiure district in recent weeks, and there have also been reports of abductions and forced recruitment during raids on remote villages.
The longstanding insurgency in Mozambique, active since 2017, has resulted in over 6,200 deaths.
Doctors Without Borders suspended operations in Mocímboa da Praia due to the violence and launched an emergency response to assist thousands of displaced people sheltering in camps across Chiure, The Associated Press reported.
The United Nations estimates that over 1 million people in northern Mozambique have been displaced since the conflict started, driven by militant violence, prolonged drought, and extreme weather events.
The UN migration agency reported over 46,000 displacements in just eight days in late July, with nearly 60% of those displaced being children.
