At least 20 Christians have been killed and thousands forced to flee after a new wave of jihadist attacks struck northern Mozambique. Militants linked to the Islamic State targeted Christian villages, churches, and homes in the latest escalation of violence.
The assaults, carried out by Ahlu Sunnah wa Jama’ah (known locally as al-Shabaab), destroyed much of the Christian-majority village of Napala in Chiúre District, Cabo Delgado Province. More than 1,300 homes and two churches were burned down, displacing around 2,000 residents, according to local reports.
Witnesses said the attacks intensified after Mozambique’s Defence and Security Forces withdrew from the area. “Everything got worse when the FDS tried to intervene without success,” one local pastor told Open Doors. “When they fled, they left everything worse for those people.”
Among the victims were four elderly Christian women who were tied up and set on fire inside a house, according to eyewitnesses.
The violence is part of an eight-year insurgency that has plagued northern Mozambique since 2017. Islamist militants affiliated with the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP) have killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over one million.
In a recent online publication, the Islamic State threatened Christians in Africa, warning that believers must “convert to Islam, pay the jizya [tax], or face death and expulsion.” Analysts fear such statements could encourage further violence across sub-Saharan Africa.
Local sources told Open Doors that the government continues to restrict information about the conflict by limiting media access and banning photography in affected regions. “It is heartbreaking to see how the government is managing this conflict,” one source said. “The church remains the central target. Hundreds of churches have been burned, and countless Christians assaulted.”
According to Open Doors, at least 56 Christians have been killed for their faith in Mozambique this year, with over 100 churches attacked or closed and 13 believers kidnapped. The country ranks 37th on the 2025 Open Doors World Watch List of the most dangerous places to be a Christian.
Christian organisations have also raised concern over a proposed Religious Regulation Law, which they say would tighten state control over churches by requiring thousands of signatures for registration, restrictions not applied to Islamic institutions.
Despite fear and trauma, church leaders say faith remains strong. “Many believers live with fear and exhaustion,” an Open Doors contact said. “But God is still at work in these places, in ways that are hard to explain.”
The crisis underscores the importance of Open Doors’ Arise Africa campaign, which calls on Christians worldwide to pray and advocate for the persecuted. Churches are also preparing for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on 15 November, with a 12-hour global vigil planned.
Adapted from CT UK.
