At least 120 children have been kidnapped by jihadist insurgents in northern Mozambique in recent days, Human Rights Watch reported on Tuesday, sounding the alarm over a renewed wave of abductions in the conflict-ridden Cabo Delgado province.
According to the human rights watchdog, the children are being exploited by a local Islamic State–affiliated group known as al-Shabaab. These minors are allegedly being forced to transport looted items, perform hard labor, and in many cases, serve as fighters or be coerced into marriages.
Mozambique has grappled with this Islamist insurgency since 2017, with violence escalating over the years. Despite assistance from Rwandan, South African, and other regional forces, the Mozambican government has struggled to suppress the militant threat. The crisis has displaced over 600,000 people and continues to spill into neighboring provinces, according to figures from the United Nations.
The current wave of kidnappings follows a grim precedent. In 2020, insurgents carried out a spate of attacks involving the beheading of dozens of civilians, including children. Eyewitnesses recount how kidnapped children were later seen taking part in further armed assaults.
“There has been a resurgence of attacks and child kidnappings in the last two months,” Human Rights Watch stated, urging Mozambique’s authorities to increase efforts to rescue abducted children and prevent further atrocities.
Crisis Deepens in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique
The troubled region of Cabo Delgado has long suffered from neglect. Last year’s deadly post-election protests diverted national attention, while successive cyclones and cuts to foreign aid, linked in part to decisions by President Donald Trump, further weakened the region’s resilience.
Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), visited Cabo Delgado this month and painted a bleak picture. “Climate shocks, increasing violence and spiralling hunger are having a terrible impact on the population,” he said, describing northern Mozambique as a “neglected crisis.”
The NRC estimates that more than 5 million people in Mozambique are experiencing critical levels of hunger, with over 900,000 facing emergency food insecurity. These compounding crises — conflict, displacement, and hunger — have left the region in an acute state of vulnerability.
The situation in Mozambique reflects a broader trend in East and Southeastern Africa, where jihadist activity is intensifying. Groups like al-Shabaab in Somalia and the Islamic State Somalia Province (IS-Somalia) continue to threaten regional security, operating as major nodes within the global jihadist network.
These extremist factions draw foreign fighters and possess capabilities that include bomb-making, armed raids, and targeted assassinations of security personnel. Their influence has grown steadily despite national and regional counter-terrorism campaigns.
Recent operations coordinated by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL have resulted in the arrest of 37 terror suspects across eight countries — Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and others. The crackdown has led to the seizure of both small arms and heavy weaponry, as well as the disruption of planned attacks involving foreign terrorist elements.
In parallel, the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel regions continue to see growing activity by jihadist groups. The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen (JNIM) have expanded operations, launching deadly attacks in northeastern Nigeria and penetrating deep into Burkina Faso and Niger.
ISWAP’s ability to evolve in the face of military pressure has frustrated counterinsurgency efforts, while JNIM’s incursions underscore the fragility of security institutions across the Sahel.
The convergence of jihadist operations from West Africa to the eastern corridor presents an alarming security risk. Political instability, faltering governance, and a decline in Western military presence are compounding the threat. These militant groups are not only better armed but also increasingly tech-savvy, employing drones and cooperating with transnational criminal networks.
Analysts and security experts warn that unless regional states and the international community ramp up coordination and support, the violence risks spreading further and destabilizing larger swathes of Africa.
