Attacks on Christians Escalate in Mozambique and Democratic Republic of Congo by ISIS-Linked Militants [WATCH]

Militant groups aligned with the Islamic State are carrying out violent attacks against Christian communities in central and southern Africa, with recent reports highlighting brutal actions in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), an organization based in Washington, D.C., the assaults have included beheadings, church burnings, and the destruction of homes.

BREAKING: At least 18 Christians were butchered in Chiúre, northern Mozambique, simply for believing in Jesus.

Where is the global outrage? Where are the protests? pic.twitter.com/ALh8fUs44M

— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) August 3, 2025

Trump’s Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?

MEMRI reported that the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP) published 20 images documenting four separate attacks on Christian villages in the Chiure district of Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province.

The photos allegedly depict ISMP fighters raiding villages, setting fire to a church and residences, and beheading two Christian civilians and a member of what they termed an “infidel militia.”

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

Several other corpses of militia members were also shown in the images, according to MEMRI’s analysis.

Alberto Miguel Fernandez, Vice President of MEMRI and a former U.S. diplomat, told Fox News Digital, “What we see in Africa today is a kind of silent genocide or silent, brutal, savage war that is occurring in the shadows and all too often ignored by the international community.”

Fernandez warned that jihadist groups are threatening the stability of multiple African nations.

“That jihadist groups are in a position to take over not one, not two, but several countries in Africa – take over the whole country or most of several countries – is dangerous,” he said.

“It’s very dangerous for the national security of the United States let alone the security of the poor people who are there – Christians or Muslims or whoever they are.”

In the DRC, the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) released images showing an attack on the Christian village of Komanda in Ituri province on July 27.

Militants affiliated with the group reportedly opened fire at a Catholic church and set fire to homes, shops, vehicles, and other property.

MEMRI reported that at least 45 people were killed, and the photos allegedly show the corpses of Christian victims and extensive fire damage.

Fernandez told Fox News Digital that jihadist groups in Africa are focused on “eliminating Christian communities” as they expand into new areas.

He said Muslims are given a choice to join the jihadists or face violence, while Christians are targeted outright. “Christians are going to be targeted and destroyed,” he said.

More attacks on Christians in Africa that no one is talking about: In northern Mozambique, ISIS raided Christian villages and burned down houses in Chiúre.
(Amir Tsarfati) pic.twitter.com/cj9V4DtPMk

— Sarah Malcangi (@MalcangiSarah) August 3, 2025

The United Nations migration agency reported Monday that more than 46,000 people were displaced in Cabo Delgado between July 20 and July 28 due to insurgent attacks.

The International Organization for Migration noted that nearly 60% of those displaced were children.

Separate U.N. reports have acknowledged the violence but have not specified victims or the identities of attackers.

Fernandez criticized the U.N.’s approach, stating, “I’m no fan of the United Nations in general, but I think what they’re doing is kind of the lowest common denominator… The fact that some of this and some of the worst of it is happening because of a deep anti-Christian animus, hatred of Christians, religiously-based hatred of Christians is something that the UN usually doesn’t like to talk about.”

On July 22, Islamic State fighters in Mozambique allegedly captured and beheaded six Christians in the village of Natocua, in Cabo Delgado’s Ancuabe district, according to MEMRI.

Barnabas Aid, an international Christian charity, cited the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium in reporting that three more Christians were killed in the Chiure district on July 24 and 25.

Mozambique has been engaged in an ongoing battle against Islamic State-affiliated insurgents in the northern region for eight years.

Rwandan forces have been deployed to assist Mozambique in combating the insurgency, which has been marked by beheadings, kidnappings of children, and widespread displacement.

The U.N. estimates that over one million people have been displaced in northern Mozambique due to violence, drought, and cyclones.

Fernandez praised the Trump administration’s actions against jihadist terrorism and highlighted President Trump’s role in brokering a ceasefire between Rwanda and the DRC.

He said that jihadist groups often exploit areas of conflict and lawlessness to expand their reach.

“What we need to see is them to be utterly defeated in Africa, so people will say… ‘Well obviously these people did not have the mandate of Allah… they lost.’ That’s what we need,” he said.

Doctors Without Borders has launched an emergency response to assist displaced individuals in the Chiure district.

The Cabo Delgado region, which contains significant offshore natural gas reserves, has seen a $20 billion extraction project by TotalEnergies suspended since 2021 due to the ongoing insurgency.

Meanwhile, the Congolese army has attributed the July attacks in Komanda to the Allied Democratic Force (ADF), a group backed by the Islamic State.

The ADF has targeted civilians in eastern Congo and Uganda, with leaders having pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2019. The group aims to establish an Islamic caliphate in Uganda.