More than 30 Christians have reportedly been beheaded in northern Mozambique amid a surge of attacks by Islamic State-linked militants.

The extremist group has also released disturbing images showing executions and the burning of homes and churches.

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute, the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP) claimed responsibility for several raids across Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces in late September. Villages including Chiure-Velho, Nacocha, and Macomia were attacked, with victims killed by gunfire or beheading, and multiple churches set ablaze.

One resident told reporters that gunmen entered his neighborhood at night, “killing four and kidnapping four others, including a woman and her two daughters.”

Another witness said a young man was shot after refusing to hand over his father’s belongings.

The latest wave of violence comes as Mozambique renews its military alliance with Rwanda.

On August 27, the two nations signed an agreement to extend the Rwandan Defense Force’s deployment in Cabo Delgado, where they have been supporting counterinsurgency efforts since 2021.

Despite this, ISMP has continued to launch coordinated strikes across six districts, pushing further south and displacing tens of thousands.

The UN estimates that over one million people in northern Mozambique have now been forced from their homes since the conflict began in 2017.

Aid agencies have suspended operations in several regions, including Doctors Without Borders, which pulled back from Mocímboa da Praia following attacks.

The organization is now helping thousands of displaced families in temporary camps.

Mozambique’s Defense Minister recently admitted that military operations have failed to fully contain the insurgents, who are believed to have killed at least 6,200 people over the past eight years. As one observer warned, “Denying the scale of the crisis only deepens mistrust and puts more lives at risk.”