Since 2017, Mozambique has risen to 41st place in the Christian persecution ranking due to ISIS attacks.
Christians make up 54.2% of the population, with 18 million out of a total of 33.2 million people. Among them, Catholics account for 27%, Protestants 14%, and independent churches 13%. Evangelicals make up 23.7% of the population, approximately 4.26 million people. Other religious groups include ethnic religions at 27.7% and Islam at 17.5%. Attacks by Islamic extremist armed groups and armed gangs in certain regions are all involved in Christian persecution, and their attacks continue to expand. The persecution of Christians is the worst in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. This is where extremists linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) carry out violent attacks to expand their influence and control.
Mozambique entered the top 50 in the global persecution index in 2021 to 45th place, and rose
to 41st in 2022. ISIS-linked armed groups are attempting to establish an Islamic caliphate in the country
. Since violent attacks began in October 2017 in Cabo Delgado, more than 3,000 people have been killed, and 800,000 people have been displaced as refugees by May 2021. These attacks have included numerous atrocities, as well as the burning of churches and Christian schools.The armed group known as Islamic State-Mozambique is referred to as Ansar al-Sunna and is locally called al-Shabaab. Cabo Delgado fell under their control after the civil war began in 2017, and Palma is located near a $60 billion international gas development project. These forces pledged allegiance to ISIS in April 2018 and have killed at least 300 Christians for their faith. There have been more than 100 attacks on churches, and over 600 women and girls have been enslaved, many of whom suffered abuse and were sold as sex slaves for $600.
In March 2021, the United States designated ISIS-Mozambique as a “Specially Designated Terrorist.” At least 24 countries have sent troops to support the fight against Mozambican militants. However, the Mozambican government army is being accused of corruption by deceiving that it has 7,000 troops. Aid groups around the world have recommended that “the United Nations and the international community should support the peaceful settlement of Mozambique without delay and resolve the root causes of the conflict.”
The Christian population in Mozambique has grown the fastest, but persecution has also intensified.
In a June 2021 interview with Christian Post, Open Doors Communications Officer Amy Lam stated, “The recent wave of violence in Mozambique has caused immense suffering. The main reason the country was added to the list of persecuted countries is the rise of violent attacks by radical jihadists.” In March 2021, an attack in Palma, a town in northeastern Mozambique, displaced 67,848 people in just four days, leaving many children orphaned. Mozambique has a Christian population of approximately 17 million, making up more than 50% of the total population. Lam said, “Mozambique has the fastest-growing Christian population in the world. With the rise of Christianity, so do jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, al-Shabaab, and the Islamic State.” She added, “These groups are expanding their networks across the African continent with the goal of eradicating Christianity from the region.
Unfortunately, this is having an effect in some way Specifically, about 800,000 people have escaped from northern Mozambique, and those who remain—including women and children—face severe hunger even if they escape violence.”
Lam also pointed out that Christians in Mozambique are particularly targeted, and the government itself is complicit. She said, “There may be anti-Christian sentiment at the government level, and even among high-ranking officials. As a result, smaller acts of violence against Christians can escalate into large-scale persecution.” For three days, Muslim extremists attacked a city, killing dozens, trapping hundreds, and leaving many missing. In March 2021, hundreds of members of the Islamic extremist group al-Shabaab stormed Palma without warning, and they went into the homes of citizens and killed people indiscriminately. Many people were affected, but the situation for Christians was the most serious. Those who could not recite the Quran or explain Islamic doctrine were brutally murdered. The extremists beheaded Christians, set churches on fire, and destroyed schools, hospitals, and police stations.
In 2021, a 14-year-old girl named Evodia was captured along with her mother when ISIS terrorists took over Palma in Cabo Delgado. The terrorists killed her brother in front of her because her family was
Christian, and after torturing her, they forced her into sexual slavery. Evodia and her mother endured eight months in captivity in the forest before finally escaping. Field ministers from Voice of the Martyrs are not only comforting persecuted Christians but also providing food and Bibles to those who have lost their homes. They are helping these believers find hope in Jesus despite their suffering.
》Prayer Points
1. During Mozambique’s colonial period under Portugal (1505–1975), Catholic authorities suppressed and banned Protestantism. After independence, a socialist regime persecuted Christians and expelled missionaries. However, after the socialist government collapsed in 1989, religious freedom was restored, and Protestantism grew significantly. Yet, since 2017, attacks by Islamic extremist armed groups in northern Mozambique have reignited severe persecution, bringing tribulation upon the Church once again. Let us pray that the suffering of the Church in Mozambique will strengthen believers, deepening their dependence on God’s Word with pure faith.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
76 May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.(Psalms 119:71,76-77, NIV)
2. May God protect Christians enduring violence and killings in Cabo Delgado, comforting and restoring them. Let us also pray that the Islamic State-Mozambique and its armed groups will be dismantled and rendered powerless so that they can no longer kill innocent lives. Lastly, let us pray that the people of this land may be saved by being filled with the words of the Gospel of the Cross, and that they will be united as one Church to love and embrace one another.
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;(Ephesians 4:2-4,NIV)
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