Nairobi, Kenya
John Tembe’s voice trembles as he narrates how jihadists in Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique brutally hacked his brother to death for refusing their demand to renounce Christ.
“He risked his life by refusing to convert to Islam,” a 30-year-old father of three said by phone from the northern part of the country. “He was tied up after declining to recant his faith and hacked to death. It’s painful to us. He left a very young family.”
A bridge over the River Lurio which marks the southern border of Cabo Delgado province (pictured in 2009). PICTURE: F Mira (licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)
Tembe’s brother is among thousands of Christians in northern Mozambique who are risking their lives for refusing to convert to Islam in the face of death threats by Muslim extremists. The region, which has a population of 2.3 million, has been plagued by the rise of violent extremism for the last three years, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,300 people and displacing almost 800,000 others.
The situation has forced Christians being targeted by jihadists to flee their homes and take refuge in refugee camps, churches, and schools. Extremists have also targeted Christian aid workers in the region.
“It’s difficult for Christians to gather and pray in this region,” said Tembe. “It’s even riskier to introduce yourself as a Christian. The majority of the residents have been forced to convert to Islam against their will to survive, and those who resist have been murdered.”
Religious leaders in the region have said the situation was getting out of hand and urged the government for more military action to weed out the jihadists. The south-east African nation has a population of more than 30 million people, with 30 per cent Protestants, 24 per cent Catholics, 17 per cent Muslims, and 28 per cent ethnic religionists.
The spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Pemba in the northern part of the country, Fr Kwiriwi Fonseca, said there had been instances where jihadists have raided homes and refugee centers and abducted hundreds of young men and women.
Archbishop Inácio Saure. PICTURE: Missionaries of Africa Southern Africa Province
“The terrorists abduct these children and take them to the bush where they are forced to convert to Islam. Those who refuse are hacked to death,” he said, noting that in areas where Muslims are predominant, jihadists force Christians living in those areas to convert to Islam or face death. “Those young men who accept to convert are trained to fight in their ranks, and girls are raped and forced to become their brides.”
Fonseca confirmed that many people in the region have reported being forced to convert to Islam or be hacked to death. “Jihadists are asking Christians whether they want to become Muslim or be slaughtered,” he said.
Catholic Archbishop Inacio Saure, of Nampula Archdiocese in northern Mozambique, urged the government and other stakeholders to intervene and end the conflict in the region so that residents who have fled to take refuge elsewhere can go back to their homes.
“The situation in the region is worrying. People are suffering, and they have fled their homes due to the ongoing insurgency,” said Archbishop Saure, clarifying that leaders will have to address the underlying economic and social grievances that have led locals to rebel.
The northern part of the country has massive natural resources, including oil and gas reserves and other minerals. But despite this vast wealth, they continue to be marginalised.
“We have to come together and commit to finding a lasting solution to the people of this region so that we can have peace,” the Archbishop said.
Tembe agreed with the Archbishop but urged the government to act quickly and save people’s lives in northern Mozambique.
“We can’t continue to live in fear in our own country. People are being persecuted because of their faith,” he said. The country’s constitution provides for freedom of religion to all citizens. “The government should save us from these jihadists.”
