Persecution of Christians in Mozambique: a 2017 census found that Christians, mostly Roman Catholics, constitute 59% of Mozambique’s population; Muslims comprise 19%. However, the Muslim population is largely concentrated in the northern part of the country, where this attack took place. All over Africa, Christians are increasingly threatened as Islamist groups become ever more aggressive and violent. Mozambique is a relatively new arena for their operations.
“Monastery Attacked by Islamists in Northern Mozambique,” The Tablet, May 19, 2020:
05/19/2020 Mozambique (The Tablet) – This week, Islamist insurgents attacked a monastery in northern Mozambique where four monks lived. The insurgents destroyed a hospital that the monks were building in the nearby village of Auasse. This village is located in the Cabo Delgado district of Northern Mozambique, which has known many attacks over the past two years. Though no one was killed during this attack, it has left the monks homeless and the locals without the hope of the hospital that was being built. During the attack, the four monks hid in the nearby bush. Once the attack was finished, they traveled to another monastery in the neighboring country Tanzania, where they are from.
It is the second confirmed attack against Christians since the violence started in Northern Mozambique. Last month a Catholic mission in the village of Muambula was attacked, during which five people were killed and a secondary school was also destroyed. Lastly, a Brazilian Catholic bishop called D. Luiz who lives in the area stated that, “This week they attacked three districts at the same time. This makes the situation even worse. They may be adopting a new strategy, but we have no idea how many of them there are”. The bishop has also spoken numerous times against the violence and how the government is unable to control it even though the military increased its presence in the area….
