Reports from international observers indicate that Christians are being beheaded, and churches and homes are being burned in central and southern Africa, with Mozambique experiencing some of the most severe attacks.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a Washington, D.C.-based counter-terrorism research nonprofit, is raising concerns about what it calls a “silent genocide” against Christians.
According to MEMRI, the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP) recently released 20 photos showcasing four attacks on “Christian villages” in the Chiure district of Cabo Delgado province.
MEMRI stated that the photos depict ISIS operatives raiding villages and setting fire to a church and residences. The images also allegedly show the beheadings of a member of what the jihadists consider “infidel militias” and two Christian civilians. The killings were celebrated by rampaging jihadist groups. The institute’s analysis also revealed photos of the corpses of several members of these so-called “infidel militias.”
MEMRI Vice President Alberto Miguel Fernandez told Digital, “What we are witnessing in Africa today is a type of silent genocide or a silent, brutal, savage war occurring in the shadows, often overlooked by the international community.”
Fernandez, a former U.S. diplomat, warned, “The fact that jihadist groups are in a position to take over multiple countries in Africa – either the entire country or a significant portion – poses a significant threat. This is very dangerous for the national security of the United States, not to mention the security of the vulnerable populations – Christians, Muslims, or anyone else residing there.”
The Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) also recently released several photos documenting an attack on July 27 against the Christian village of Komanda in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ituri province. Islamic State-affiliated soldiers opened fire on a Catholic Church and set fire to homes, stores, vehicles, and belongings. MEMRI reported that at least 45 people were killed. The photos show burning structures and the dead bodies of Christians.
Fernandez explained to Digital that the goal of these jihadist groups is expansion as they move from safe havens, and Muslims are “given an ultimatum: ‘join us, or face death and annihilation.’”
Fernandez told Digital, “Christians, however, will not be given the option to join. They will be targeted for destruction.”
The migration agency reported on Monday that attacks by insurgents in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province displaced over 46,000 people within an eight-day period last month.
The International Organization for Migration stated that nearly 60% of those displaced were children.
In a separate report, the U.N.’s humanitarian office stated that the surge in displacements was caused by a wave of attacks across three districts in Cabo Delgado between July 20 and July 28.
While the United Nations mentions attacks, its reporting has not provided details on deaths or specified the targets. Reportedly, at least nine Christians in the Cabo Delgado province were killed in separate attacks by Islamic insurgents during that timeframe.
Fernandez told Digital, “While I am generally critical of the , I believe their approach is somewhat simplistic. It’s easy to be vague like that. The fact that some of the worst incidents are occurring due to deep anti-Christian sentiment, hatred of Christians, and religiously-based hatred of Christians is a topic the UN typically avoids discussing.”
According to MEMRI, fighters from Islamic State Mozambique allegedly captured and beheaded six Christians in the village of Natocua in the Ancuabe district of Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province on July 22.
Barnabas Aid, an international Christian charity, cited reporting by the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium claiming that another three Christians were killed in the Chiure district in attacks on July 24 and 25.
The southern African nation has been battling an insurgency by in the north for at least eight years. Rwandan soldiers have been deployed to assist Mozambique in fighting them.
The jihadist groups have been accused of beheading villagers and abducting children for use as laborers or child soldiers. The U.N. estimates that the violence, combined with the impact of drought and several cyclones in recent years, has led to the displacement of over 1 million people in northern Mozambique.
Fernandez stated that he believes the Trump administration “was refreshingly firm and resolute in its approach to jihadist terrorism,” but the situation in Africa typically receives less attention compared to the Middle East. He highlighted Trump’s intervention in the U.S. brokering a ceasefire deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which helps counter jihadist groups that exploit security vacuums and ungoverned spaces to expand their control.
Fernandez also cautioned about the threat of jihadist ideology. He stated that after the Islamic State was “very strongly defeated” in the Middle East during Trump’s first administration, its branches are now seeking weaker territories to extend their influence.
Fernandez explained, “It’s similar to a whack-a-mole situation.” He noted that the Islamic State once controlled a pseudo-state the size of the United Kingdom. “We need to witness their complete defeat in Africa so that those on the sidelines or those defending themselves will recognize that these individuals did not have the mandate of Allah or God and were ultimately losers. That is what we need.”
Doctors Without Borders announced that it has launched an emergency response to assist thousands of recently displaced individuals now residing in camps in the Chiure district.
Cabo Delgado possesses substantial offshore natural gas reserves, and the insurgency led to the suspension of a $20 billion extraction project by the French company TotalEnergies in 2021.
Meanwhile, the Congolese army reported last month that attacks in the village of Komanda in the conflict-stricken region were carried out by the Allied Democratic Force, which receives support from the Islamic State. The group has primarily targeted villagers in eastern Congo and across the border in Uganda. ADF leaders pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019 and have been attempting to establish an Islamic caliphate in Uganda.
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