Islamic extremists in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique launched several attacks this month against the Christian village of Napala, where they destroyed two churches and 1,300 homes, displaced 2,000 believers and killed at least 20.
Among those who died were four elderly Christian women who were tied up and burned inside a house.
Open Doors writes, “The attacks coincide with so-called Islamic State (IS) issuing in their weekly newsletter a warning to Christians in Africa, with reference to insurgencies in places like Mozambique:
“‘If the Christians of Africa wish to be safe and escape the cycle of killing, they should know that our pure Islam grants them the freedom to choose between three options. First: Islam – thus becoming our brothers in iman [faith], with the same rights and duties. Second: paying the jizya [poll tax] in humiliation and submission – thereby preserving their blood and living securely in their villages. And third: if they refuse both Islam and the jizya – then death and expulsion, which they have been experiencing and suffering for years.’
“The editorial praises the group’s ‘jihad’ involving the targeting and killing of Christians in Mozambique and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while inciting IS adherents in Europe to ‘exact’ what it calls a ‘divine verdict’ against Christians in their own regions.”
The Islamic State (IS) group al-Shabaab (Ahlu Sunnah wa Jama’ah) has terrorized Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique since 2017, indiscriminately torturing, raping, killing and beheading more than 6,000 people, many of those Christians and children. Sadly, Mozambique’s military warring with al-Shabaab has also engaged in horrific acts against civilians.
“I believe that it is our shared responsibility, as members of the Body of Christ, to rise and declare: ‘Enough! Enough of the bloodshed and suffering!’ So many of our innocent brothers and sisters continue to endure persecution simply because they bear the name of Jesus,” a Christian in Mozambique told Open Doors.
“There is no doubt that the church remains the central target of these attacks. Hundreds of churches have been burned, countless Christians have been assaulted, and numerous violent incidents against followers of Jesus remain unreported and uninvestigated.
“The government has imposed strict control over conflict areas. Even normal areas are risky. They are prohibiting any photography or circulation of information. Anyone, whether a foreigner or a Mozambican, found with a phone capable of taking pictures risks arrest or confiscation. This climate of fear and silence allows the truth to be suppressed and the suffering to continue in the shadows.
“The church in Mozambique is enduring deep trauma. Many believers and leaders live with fear, intimidation and emotional exhaustion. Although there remains a genuine desire to serve Christ, fear continues to weaken the church’s public witness in many areas. But God’s working in these hotspot areas, in ways that are hard to explain.”
Please pray:
- For comfort, peace and healing for all those affected by these latest awful attacks in Mozambique, provision of all needs, and that their faith will remain strong.
- That the authorities in Mozambique will respond with courage, integrity and effectiveness to the dangers facing Christians and other vulnerable communities.
- That all evil plans will be thwarted, and every militant will encounter Jesus in such powerful ways they will drop their weapons and devotion to a false god of violence, and choose the One True God who is Love.
- That God will protect His children in sub-Saharan Africa, keep them from abduction and harm, and give them courage and the Spirit’s empowering to forgive those who persecute them and boldly preach the gospel with the lost, until all in Mozambique are saved.
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