Barnabas Fund, 30 March 2021
Dozens of people have been killed and thousands forced to flee after hundreds of Islamist militants attacked a coastal town in Cabo Delgado, a province rich in oil and gas reserves in northern Mozambique, on Wednesday 24 March.
Islamist terrorist group Islamic State boasted on Twitter on Monday of killing at least 55 people, including Christians, Mozambique soldiers, state nationals and “crusaders” (understood to mean Westerners) in a prolonged assault on Palma.
The number of casualties is unclear because many are still unaccounted for; however, a witness said the town and beaches are strewn with bodies “with heads and without”.
Hundreds more people, including children, have fled on foot through the bush and are now arriving at Namoto, about 30 miles from Palma, on the border with Tanzania.
More than 2,500 people are estimated to have been killed and 700,000 displaced since 2017 when militant Islamists began a brutal campaign to establish an Islamist caliphate in Cabo Delgado province.
Christians who refuse to deny Christ are amongst the victims.