Radical Islamic terrorists from ISIS have reportedly taken four Christians in the northern Cabo Delgado Province captive and murdered them in cold blood. Once again, this is a reminder for coddled American Christians that our brothers and sisters around the world are still facing horrific persecution for deciding to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Please do not forget to pray for the families of the victims and for those who killed them to see the light of redemption that can only be found in Christ.
I know it seems counterintuitive, but while Jesus was on the cross, He prayed for those who tortured and crucified Him, proving that He practices what He preaches when it comes to praying for those who persecute you and doing good to your enemies. Never forget that the Apostle Paul and many others throughout history have violently persecuted the church and been redeemed by Jesus. No one is beyond hope of salvation.
The killings took place in Muidumbe District, within Cabo Delgado, a region that has been gripped by insurgents since 2017. The violence began on Nov. 3, when Islamic State Mozambique, or IS-M, militants captured and slit the throats of two Christians they described as “infidel Christians,” Barnabas Aid reported. Another Christian was killed on Nov. 7 in a machine gun attack, and a fourth was captured and executed two days later, said the ministry.
Cabo Delgado has been the epicenter of a violent insurgency that has led to thousands of deaths and mass displacement. Since 2017, the region has seen an escalation of extremist activity, with IS-M being a central force in the conflict. The group is closely aligned with Islamic State Central Africa Province, operating out of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with command support from an Islamic State leadership base in Somalia. The coordination points to a concerted effort by the Islamic State to establish an operational caliphate spanning the Swahili coast, professor Fernando Cardoso, a geopolitical expert, was quoted as saying. “They pursue their political goals according to a script dictated by the Islamic State.”
From the outset of the violence in 2017 to the end of 2023, attacks by IS-M insurgents have led to the displacement of over 1 million residents and the deaths of more than 2,100 civilians of various faiths.
According to the State Department, the province is Muslim majority, but the rest of the nation is mostly Christian. The biggest portion of the population is Evangelical and Pentecostal. The IS-M primarily sets their sights on civilians, displaying massive cowardice, but what can one expect from a terrorist organization?
“They opened fire on the Christians, riddling them with bullets,” the international charity Aid to the Church in Need quoted Friar Boaventura, a missionary in the region, as stating concerning the situation there. “The attack was carried out by a local terrorist group that claimed allegiance to the Islamic State, and which said in a statement that it had killed 11 Christians in the operation. The actual number of victims may be higher, however, and there are also people who are seriously injured.”
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Christian groups have been working to ease tensions in the area for some time now, but to no avail. Let’s hope God continues to protect the peacemakers and that progress by the power of the Holy Spirit is made.