Johannesburg, South Africa

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Islamic State-linked fighters active in northern Mozambique are kidnapping more and more children, with at least 120 abductions this year although some have already been released, Human Rights Watch reported on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

The gas-rich region has been ravaged for years by jihadist violence that has killed thousands, forced many to flee and forced TotalEnergies to suspend a giant gas exploration project.

The armed group operating in Cabo Delgado province “has intensified the abduction of children” to use as combatants, forced labor or forced marriage, the NGO said in a statement.

“In the last few days, at least 120 children have been abducted,” Abudo Gafuro, executive director of Kwendeleya, a national attack monitoring organization, said in the statement.

These 120 abductions have been recorded since January 2025, said Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, Deputy Director for Africa at HRW.

Some children have been released, but it is not known how many remain in the hands of the armed group, known locally as al-Shabab – although there is no link with the Somali Islamists of the same name.

HRW reports that it interviewed nine people – Cabo Delgado residents, journalists, civil society actors and a UN official – all concerned about “the resurgence of kidnappings”.

The region, poor and isolated, suffers from attacks that often go unreported, partly due to the silence of the authorities.

– War crimes –

In March, the group abducted six children to transport their booty, freeing only four.

On May 11, during a raid on a village in the Muidumbe district, they abducted six girls and two boys.

“Al-Shabab must spare children from the conflict,” said Mr. Budoo-Scholtz. “Recruiting or using children under the age of 15 to take an active part in hostilities is a war crime,” HRW stressed.

UNICEF said earlier this month that it was “deeply concerned” by reports of violent attacks and abductions targeting children.

Three girls, the youngest aged just 12, were killed in the Muidumbe attack, UNICEF said, adding that it was a “tragic reminder of the dangers children face in conflict zones”.

At least 6,000 people, including 2,500 civilians, have died in northern Mozambique since 2017 due to the insurgency, hampering the exploitation of the huge offshore gas reserves discovered in 2010.

More than 1.3 million people have been displaced by the conflict, according to OCHA, the UN humanitarian agency.

In 2021, fighters linked to the EI carried out a multi-day attack on the port city of Palma, forcing thousands of residents to flee into the forest.

Humaniterre with AFP