Mozambique (MNN) — Islamic terrorism has spiked in the southern African country of Mozambique this year. A radical Islamic group that the locals call al-Shabab (with no connection to the Somali group of the same name) has been taking over more and more territory in Northeast Mozambique since 2017.
Earlier this month, militants murdered 50 people on a soccer field, trying to strike terror throughout the country.
Map of Mozambique. The area with the most violence is shown in red. (Photo by Profoss, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs Canada says, “In that part of Mozambique, it’s a very strong Muslim area. But there are a number of Christians that are there, including whole villages. And this Islamic group is now attacking not only Christians but anybody who doesn’t want to go along with their ideology. They want to create a caliphate, and they’re using terror to do that.”
While religion plays a role in this violence, the area of Mozambique this group seeks to control has a lot of oil resources, making it a practical target as well.
An escalating situation
The group has become very organized in recent months, armed with sophisticated weapons and using advanced tactics. Musselman says the situation has slid under the radar for many people. “This is not just a little situation involving a few hundred people. That would be tragic as it is. But since this began in October 2017, there have been more than 2000 deaths, and 400,000 people have been displaced. And what’s happened is the infrastructure has also been attacked. A number of medical centers have been destroyed.”
Many people have lost homes, and Musselman says farming has been disrupted in the uncertainty.
Vulnerable Christian villages and churches need prayer for protection from this terrorist group rampaging in the country. Pray God would protect them from violence and the fear these terrorists are trying to inspire.
Pray God would comfort Christians who have lost loved ones with the hope of Jesus and the resurrection.
Header photo by David Peterson from Pixabay.
