Mozambique: Persecution Continues for Christians

It's the latest of the atrocities committed in the province of Cabo Delgado, which has been grappling with the violence of armed jihadist groups for more than 5 years and where, since 2021, the Mozambican army has been assisting with soldiers from Rwanda and neighboring countries. On September 15, 2023, near Mocimboa, at least 11 Christians were massacred by terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State (IS).

According to Brother Boaventura, a Catholic missionary practicing his ministry in the region, the terrorists arrived in the village of Naquitengue in the early afternoon and rounded up the whole population. They then separated the Christians from the Muslims, apparently by name and ethnic background.

Then, “they opened fire on the Christians,” explains the missionary. The attack was led by a local terrorist group which declares allegiance to the Islamic State, and which claims to have killed 11 Christians in the operation. However, the real number of victims could prove to be higher, because many of the victims who survived are seriously injured.

Women are sometimes the first victims of abuse. The report published by Aide à l’Eglise en détresse (AED) on September 20 reported the recurring abduction of Christian women who are sexually ensalved by jihadists when they refuse to embrace Islam.

“We have confirmed from the people in Cabo Delgado that indeed, it is true; the fighters are turning Christian women into sex objects and forcing them to convert to Islam,” explains Johan Viljoen, a member of AED.

An internal memorandum of the Islamic State counsels its members to run medical tests on Christian women before distributing them to combattants, and even to kill those who refuse to convert to Islam.

“Captured women with AIDS who do convert can be released for a ransom or killed if they refuse to become Muslims,” reads this document. “Those who convert to Islam and are confirmed free of the disease can be given [to ISIS members].”

According to the NGO Armed Conflict Location & Even Data Project (ACLED), the jihadist rebellion of Ansar Al-Sunna, affiliated with the Islamic State, has caused close to 3,300 deaths—half being civilians—and the displacement of 800,000 people since 2017.

Since 2021, 3,000 Rwandan soldiers, partially paid by the European Union, have begun to reestablish peace in areas of Cabo Delgado which represent a major strategic economic interest. But outside of these strategic zones, the inhabitants—especially the Christians—are left to fend for themselves.