[imagesource: Lusa]

In case you had forgotten, there is a serious human rights crisis going on just north of our border.

I should clarify – there are many, Zimbabwe included, but we’re talking about the ISIS-linked groups that are sweeping through northern Mozambique, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake.

Having seized the coastal town of Palma, as well as an island where many South African-owned resorts are located, the reign of terror continues, with several villages in Cabo Delgado province coming under attack this week.

DW reports that more than 50 people have been beheaded in the past few days:

“They set the houses on fire and then hunted down people who had fled into the woods and began their macabre action,” a police officer told a press conference. Witnesses told local media that the militants had driven residents of one village onto a football pitch before murdering them there.

Image: BBC

The militants also reportedly abducted women and children.

Islamist rebels linked to the ‘Islamic State’ group are said to be recruiting youth, as they seek to grow their numbers, with an estimated 2 000 people killed, and 430 000 left homeless since the attacks began in 2017.

Those who refuse to join are summarily executed, with militants shooting and beheading 50 youths in April.

Let that sink in for a moment. This is happening in Mozambique as we speak.

According to the BBC, the militants responsible for the most recent attacks chanted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest”, in English) whilst setting homes alight, and villagers that attempted to flee were taken to the local football pitch.

Here, over the course of three days, they were beheaded and chopped to pieces.

This report is a little dated, but does cover many of the central issues still facing the region:

[sources:dw&bbc]