MAPUTO, Mozambique (RNS) — In the remote villages of Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, fear seems constant. Families say they no longer sleep through the night, children jump at the sound of footsteps and parents clutch their little ones close, terrified they might be the next to disappear.
The jihadist insurgency that has gripped the country’s northernmost province since 2017 has entered a new phase targeting children, human rights organizations have warned. Cabo Delgado, a coastal province that borders Tanzania and lies along the Indian Ocean, is rich in natural gas reserves but has been wracked by violence from insurgents associated with the Islamic State group, leaving thousands dead and about a million people displaced.
Faith leaders and aid groups say child abductions are rising, and children are being taken from their homes or schools. Some who are abducted are forced to work for armed groups, while others are married off. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 120 children were kidnapped since the beginning of the year.
Most of the kidnapped children are found after escaping or being abandoned by fighters. Villagers often bring them to churches, which have become safe hubs for finding the children’s relatives with the help of local authorities and aid agencies. Militants release children mainly when they are too weak to travel or during military raids.
The Cabo Delgado province, red, in northern Mozambique. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia/Creative Commons)
Pentecostal Pastor Thomas Machava, who coordinates a network …