WILLIAM DESJARDINS

In the shadows of international headlines, an escalating campaign of violence is unfolding across several African nations, where radical Islamic groups are targeting Christian communities. In Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province, the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP), an ISIS affiliate, has taken responsibility for a series of attacks, including beheadings, village raids, and the burning of churches and homes. Between July 20 and 28, ISMP militants reportedly killed at least nine Christians, beheaded others, and displaced over 46,000 people. Nearly 60% of the victims were children according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

On July 24, ISMP fighters attacked a Christian village in Chiure district, killing one and setting multiple homes ablaze. Four days later, they claimed responsibility for the capture and beheading of two Christians, releasing 20 propaganda photos through jihadist channels boasting of their attacks. The images, verified by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), reveal scenes of mutilated victims, torched churches, and militants standing triumphantly over the corpses of what they call “infidel militias.” MEMRI Vice President Alberto Miguel Fernandez described the unfolding crisis as a “silent genocide” driven by deep anti-Christian hatred, lamenting the lack of attention from the international community.

Mozambique isn’t alone. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has seen similarly heinous violence at the hands of the ISIS-aligned Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). On July 27, ADF operatives opened fire at a Catholic church in the Christian village of Komanda, killing 45 people, including nine children, and setting fire to homes and businesses. Earlier in the month, the same group slaughtered 43 worshipers during a church service. These acts of terror are part of a broader ISIS strategy to establish a caliphate across Africa through decentralized, cell-based warfare—a shift from the group’s earlier land-occupying tactics in Iraq and Syria.

Despite mounting death tolls and mass displacements, global leaders have remained largely silent. Fernandez warns that ISIS-aligned groups are now in a position to destabilize multiple African nations simultaneously, posing a long-term threat not only to regional security but to global interests. While countries like Rwanda have deployed forces to assist Mozambique, the international response remains fragmented and insufficient. As ISIS continues to expand its ideological and operational reach, Christian communities across Mozambique, the DRC, and Nigeria live under the constant threat of slaughter, their suffering too often overlooked in a world consumed by other headlines.