More than 30 Christians were beheaded in Mozambique in September 2024, with churches and homes burned across multiple villages in the country’s northern provinces, according to a report released by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
The Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP), an affiliate of Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attacks, which primarily targeted the Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces. MEMRI reported viewing photos released by ISMP showing militants executing civilians and destroying religious structures.
Timeline of Recent ISMP Attacks
Between September 23-30, ISMP conducted multiple coordinated attacks:
- September 30: Militants raided Nakioto village in Nampula Province, burning one church and more than 100 Christian homes
- September 29: ISMP fighters captured and beheaded a Christian in Macomia District, Cabo Delgado Province
- September 28: The group burned 23 homes and a church in Mahip village, Montepuez, and assaulted Macomia Town, killing four Christians
- September 26: Militants killed a Christian and burned two churches in Nacocha village, Chiure District, then set fire to two churches in nearby Nacussa
- September 25: ISMP claimed beheading two Christians in Chiure-Velho
- September 23: A Christian home was burned in Nabatini village, Montepuez District
MEMRI also reported that militants attacked Minhanha village in Nampula Province, destroying one church and approximately 10 homes, though ISMP has not claimed responsibility for this incident.
Mozambique Government Response
Mozambican President Daniel Chapo acknowledged on September 25 that while security conditions in Cabo Delgado have improved compared to three to four years ago, terrorist threats persist.
“Reality tells us that this effort has not been enough,” Chapo told the Armed Defense Forces of Mozambique. “We want to direct the three pillars of the Defense and Security Forces to find strategies to eradicate terrorism in our country.”
Christian Persecution in Africa
Mozambique ranks 37th on Open Doors’ World Watch List of most dangerous countries for Christians. The international Christian advocacy organization reports that Islamic extremist groups operating in northern Mozambique aim to establish a strict Islamic state, with Christians targeted as symbols of resistance.
The violence in Mozambique reflects a broader pattern of attacks on Christians across Africa. In Nigeria, the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law reports that between 2009 and 2023, at least 52,000 Christians were killed, 18,500 abducted and presumed dead, and more than 20,000 churches and Christian schools attacked. More recent findings “between January and March 2025, [indicate] not less than 200 Edo Christian-Farmers including women, children and men were slaughtered by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and 150 others abducted, with not less than 20 feared killed in captivity.”
“Great that folks are learning about Christian persecution in Nigeria but it’s also happening in Cameroon, Congo, Mali, Sudan, now add Mozambique,” said counter-extremism expert and Editor-at-Large for Homeland Security Today’s Intervention vertical, Mubin Shaikh. “It has been happening here for several years but comes back in the headlines like this.”
As Bill Maher stated during the September 26 episode of his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher, “They’ve killed over 100,000 since 2009. They’ve burned 18,000 churches,” referring to violent Islamists in Nigeria such as Boko Haram. “Where are the kids protesting this?”
U.S. Government Assessment
The U.S. Department of State maintains an “exercise increased caution” travel advisory for Mozambique, stating in June that “terrorist groups in northern Mozambique continue to be active.”
In its 2023 International Religious Freedom Report, the State Department noted that attributing purely religious motives to terrorists in Cabo Delgado “risked exacerbating existing socioeconomic grievances among historically marginalized majority-Muslim populations.”
The department emphasized the need for Mozambican authorities to address underlying socioeconomic factors that extremist groups exploit for recruitment, while engaging with religious communities to counter the violence effectively.
The sustained operational capacity of ISMP in northern Mozambique, despite ongoing counterterrorism efforts by regional and international partners, underscores the persistent challenge of Islamic State affiliates across sub-Saharan Africa. Security analysts warn that continued instability in Cabo Delgado could enable ISMP to expand its territorial control and recruitment networks.