Church reduced to rubble in Mozambique

An extremist attack on Meza in the Cabo Delgado region of northern Mozambique has left a church in ruins and a community traumatised, with reports of individuals killed and others kidnapped. Please pray.

The Christian community in Meza, northern Mozambique has been left stunned and scattered by an attack carried out on Thursday 30 April. During the onslaught, St Louis de Montford Church was set on fire and destroyed as well as a nearby school. 

Once some civilians had been captured, they were ‘forced to watch and listen to speeches of hatred’, according to Bishop António Juliasse of Pemba. 

Reports of beheadings and kidnappings have also arisen from the incident, though these have not yet been verified. However, such methods of killing have been associated with al-Sunna wal-Jamma (ASWJ), an extremist group operating in Mozambique that affiliates itself with so-called Islamic State. The latter claimed responsibility for the attack on 1 May according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED). 

Since the event, local partners have not yet been able to visit affected believers to accompany them in their grief or pray with them. 

A pattern of violence 

The northern part of Mozambique is formed of a majority-Muslim population with a Christian minority. The Cabo Delgado region has repeatedly experienced targeting and attacks by jihadist groups, and this latest assault only compounds the vulnerability of Christians in the region. 

When religious extremists attack communities in northern Mozambique, churches are regularly destroyed and communities displaced, leaving the remaining believers isolated and struggling to continue their activities. 

• Why is Mozambique number 39 on the World Watch List? 

Please stand with our brothers and sisters who have been traumatised by this latest attack. Your prayers make all the difference, reminding them that they are not alone in the face of violence.