Terror in Mozambique: children barely 11 are beheaded

Children as young as 11 are beheaded in northern Mozambique, the NGO Save The Children denounced on Tuesday., in a jihadist conflict in which in just over three years, around 1,300 civilians have been killed.

“We tried to escape into the forest, but they took my oldest son and beheaded him. We couldn’t do anything because they would kill us too, ”a mother of four tells Save The Children of the day when insurgents attacked her town in Cabo Delgado province, burned down her neighbors’ homes and killed her 12 year old son.

“This violence must end and displaced families must be supported to recover from the traumaChance Briggs, director of this organization in Mozambique, said today in a statement.

According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), around 670,000 people have been displaced and most have come to Pemba, capital of Cabo Delgado province, seeking refuge in the homes of relatives or daughters. other community.

“My dad, the (three) children and I spent five days eating green bananas and drinking banana water until we had transportation that got us here.Said another survivor, who now resides in her brother’s home after gunmen killed one of her 11-year-old children.

The jihadist conflict affecting northern Mozambique began in October 2017 with the first attack on two police stations in Mocimboa da Praia by a group locally dubbed Al Shabab, which is not linked to the Somali terrorist organization. of the same name but rather has links to the Islamic State (IS).

Since, violent attacks have continued to grow in this strategic region rich in precious stones (rubies) and natural gas, in which large multinational extraction companies such as the Italian ENI or the American Anadarko participate.

Growing insecurity is also associated with indiscriminate attacks on civilians perpetrated by South African mercenaries – according to Amnesty International denounced on March 2 – and Mozambican soldiers accused of extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary detention of suspected jihadists.

According to the Armed Conflict Location and Events Data Project (ACLED), at least 2,614 people lost their lives in the conflict, including 1,312 civilians.

With information from EFE

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