Article source: www.worthynews.com
Christians in Mozambique live in danger as al-Shabaab ISIS-affiliated Islamic insurgents continue to wreak terror, now causing the total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the country to rise by 80,000, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Fighting an insurgency led by al-Shabaab since 2017, Mozambique’s central government recently claimed it had got the upper hand in its “war on terror,” ICC said. However, a recent new offensive launched by insurgents in the northern province of Cabo Delgado has allowed terrorists to expand the areas under their control.
Groups of insurgents have moved further south, destroying villages and beheading civilians in Ancuabe, Chiure, and Mecufi districts, ICC said. While government forces have driven the terrorists out of the main towns in Cabo Delgado, insurgents are now attacking communities in rural areas.
Reporting on the situation, particularly as it pertains to Christians, David Curry of the Open Doors USA advocacy group wrote: “This isn’t one or two different attacks—this is a series of attacks, and it’s all around. ISIS is trying to get a foothold in this northern region of Mozambique. It’s complicated, of course, with all the different political stuff… but the gist of it is that Christians are really in the danger zone because the Islamic State group there has an ideology which justifies these attacks.”
ICC has called for prayer for an end to the violence in Mozambique.
Mozambique ranks 41st on the US Open Doors World Watch List of the top 50 countries that are most dangerous for Christians.
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Date published: 14/09/2022
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only. pixabay.com
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