Islamists have recently boasted of killing ten Christians in a series of attacks waged over two weeks against Christian villages in northern Mozambique back in September 2023.
The claiming of the onslaught by Islamic State (IS – also known as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) coincided with the launch on 4 January 2024 of the group’s new global terror campaign, “Kill Them Wherever You Find Them”, announced in an audio message by its spokesman, Abu Hadhayfah Al-Ansari.
This new campaign’s title is based around the famous “Sword Verse” in the Quran, which says “Fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them” (Q 9:5). Thus it is clear to Muslims that those to be targeted in the campaign are non-Muslims.
The wave of renewed violence in northern Mozambique centred on three districts in Cabo Delgado province, clearly showing IS’ terror campaign is putting into practice the ‘Sword Verse’ against Christians.
Cabo Delgado is already known as “the land of fear” because of repeated Islamist terror attacks.
It began on 3 January in Mocimboa da Praia district when IS fighters struck the village of Ntotoe, killing three residents and burning down a church and more than 60 houses.
Two days later they hit Chimbanga village, murdering three Christians and torching over 70 houses and three motorcycles.
On 7 January gunmen opened fire with machine guns on a village in the same district. All the residents escaped unhurt but they fled as the marauders set fire to nearly 40 houses.
Two Christians were murdered and 16 houses burned down in attacks on Chai and Litamanda villages in Macomia district on 4 and 9 January respectively.
The village of Chinda in Muidumbe district was struck on 5 January, and two believers killed.
Stop the genocide of Christians
Around 1,800 Christians have been murdered in northern Mozambique since October 2017 in sustained anti-Christian violence.
They are among more than 50,000 Christians slaughtered in a genocidal campaign waged by Islamists across parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
The worst affected area is northern and Middle Belt Nigeria, where around 45,000 believers have been killed since 2009.
