Christians amongst 35 killed in string of attacks in Mozambique

Please pray – a series of recent attacks have devastated communities in Mozambique, with Christians among those clearly targeted by Islamist militants.

Christians are amongst those targeted in a string of devastating attacks by Al-Shabaab militants in Mozambique’s northern Caba Delgado province. More than 35 people have been killed, at least ten have been kidnapped, thousands have been displaced, and churches and homes have been destroyed.

On 22 July, five people are reported to have been beheaded in the village of Intutupue after they were caught producing a homemade alcoholic drink, which is deemed sinful by the insurgents. Al-Naba, a propaganda outlet of so-called Islamic State (IS), later described the victims as ‘five captured Christian infidels’. While it’s unclear if they were indeed Christians, the violence and propaganda indicates the targeting of believers.

Two days later, the militants attacked the District Police Command in Chiúre Velho, setting fire to public infrastructure including a school, health unit and police station. In a video circulated online, the insurgents are heard saying, “Christians must convert to Islam if they want to escape suffering and find salvation in heaven.”

On 28 July, 18 people were killed when the militants attacked Naparama. Homes and motorbikes were also destroyed.

On 30 July, the militants attacked Muanquina village, setting fire to two churches, a house of prayer and 43 homes belonging to believers. Bibles and other Christian literature were torn up, and personal possessions looted. A pastor is believed to have been kidnapped, with his whereabouts still unknown.

Thousands displaced

The attacks continued into August, with 15 Christians killed on 1 August as they attempted to flee from their homes in the village of Marera. According to church leaders, the victims were members of a local church that was burned two days earlier by the insurgents.

A church youth worker said that on 3 August nine members of his family in Naphela, including children, were captured as they fled a separate attack.

Further incidents have also been reported in Chitunda, Ntonhane, Maririn, Cobre, Ocua, Nassivare and Mahipa.

• What’s it like to be a Christian in Mozambique?

The attacks have displaced thousands. In Chiúre, for example, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that ‘more than 42,000 people [have been] uprooted – over half of them children’. Since January 2025, 95,000 people in Mozambique have been displaced by violence, adding to the more than 1.3 million who have been displaced since 2017.

Christians clearly targeted

“It seems like a planned attack, an annual event,” said a civil society actor in Mozambique . “The agenda is deeper than just attacking civilians or beheading people.

“They can burn a church and leave a mosque. Burn a house and leave another. So, we ask, how do they identify which house to burn? I visited Palma recently. It is one of the districts that has suffered a lot. The damage is still visible. The Christians have not returned. But there are mosques within five, ten minutes’ walk. Why have Christians not gone back? It is the same when you visit Mocimboa. We can assume that Christians are not organised, but the question is, ‘Where are Christians now?’ It tells you this is not just a coincidence.”

He believes the insurgents’ strategy is clear: “Show them terror, let them flee, and when people come back, they [Christians] wouldn’t come back.”

Field sources say the district town of Chiúre is now overwhelmed with hundreds of displaced families, some of them Christian. Several households can host up to 15 to 30 people. The overcrowding is worsened by food shortages and heightened vulnerability, especially for children and the elderly.

“How I wish I could drive to any part of this nation without fearing that I’ll be attacked,” said an Open Doors source. “Please pray for those in need. Prayers are needed and actions are needed as well. Pray for Cabo Delgado, pray for Mozambique to have a peaceful nation.”