ISIS-Linked Militants Intensify Brutal Campaign Against Christians in Africa, Sparking Fears of a ‘Silent Genocide’

Image: Jihad Watch

International monitoring groups have raised alarm over a surge in atrocities committed by ISIS-affiliated fighters across central and southern Africa, with Mozambique emerging as one of the epicenters of extreme violence. Reports indicate that militants are beheading Christians, torching churches, and razing entire villages to the ground — acts that some experts describe as part of a “silent genocide” unfolding largely outside the world’s attention.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit specializing in counter-terrorism analysis, has been documenting this escalating crisis. According to MEMRI, the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP) recently publicized 20 photographs showcasing a string of coordinated assaults on Christian communities in Chiure district, located in Mozambique’s volatile northern Cabo Delgado province.

These images, released by the militants themselves, depict armed jihadists raiding villages, setting fire to homes, and burning a local church. They also allegedly show the gruesome beheadings of one man identified by the attackers as a member of “infidel militias” and two other Christian civilians. The militants reportedly celebrated these killings, with further images displaying the bodies of several individuals deemed by the jihadists to be enemies of Islam.

MEMRI Vice President Alberto Miguel Fernandez, speaking to Fox News Digital, condemned the atrocities as part of a systematic yet underreported campaign of mass violence. “What we see in Africa today is a kind of silent genocide — a silent, brutal, savage war taking place in the shadows, often ignored by the international community,” Fernandez warned. He stressed that the threat posed by these extremist networks extends far beyond Africa’s borders: “That jihadist groups are now in a position to take over not one, not two, but several countries in Africa — whether in whole or in part — is deeply alarming. It is dangerous not only for the United States’ national security but also for the safety of the millions of vulnerable people living in those regions, whether they are Christians, Muslims, or others.”

The crisis is not confined to Mozambique. The Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) recently published its own set of photographs documenting a July 27 massacre in the Christian village of Komanda, located in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Armed militants opened fire on worshippers at a Catholic church before setting ablaze homes, businesses, vehicles, and personal belongings. MEMRI reports that at least 45 people were killed in that single attack, with photographic evidence showing charred buildings and the bodies of Christian victims.

Fernandez emphasized that the strategic objective of these groups is nothing less than the eradication of Christian communities. As militants advance from their strongholds, Muslim residents are reportedly given an ultimatum — join their ranks or face death and destruction. “Christians, of course, are not going to be asked to join,” Fernandez said. “Christians are going to be targeted and destroyed.”

These attacks reflect a grim reality: extremist networks in Africa are not merely engaging in sporadic violence but are executing an organized, ideological campaign aimed at religious cleansing. Despite the mounting death toll and the destruction of centuries-old communities, the crisis remains underreported — a silence that many warn could embolden jihadists and accelerate the collapse of stability across vast regions of the African continent.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)