Mozambique insurgents decried as ‘devils’ preying on children

Johan Viljoen, Director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute of the South African Bishops’ Conference, has issued a stark condemnation of the armed groups operating in Mozambique, labeling them as “devils.”

In comments to CWR, Viljoen stated, “These armed groups are insurgents, they are terrorists, they are devils.” He was reacting to a June 24 report by Human Rights Watch, which notes that the abduction of children by armed groups in the Cabo Delgado region in northern Mozambique has surged in recent days, with over 120 children abducted in the past few days.

The report details the grim fate of these children: most are forced into transporting looted goods, labor, marriage, or even combat.

“The surge in abductions of children in Cabo Delgado adds to the horrors of ƒ’s conflict,” said Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, HRW’s deputy Africa director, calling on Al-Shabab to spare children and release all abductees immediately.

The recent increase in abductions follows earlier concerns. The HRW report also mentioned 70 children missing after attacks, feared drowned, or abducted.

Widespread school closures exacerbate the situation; UNICEF noted that over 100 schools in Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces have closed due to insecurity, disrupting the education of more than 50,000 children.

According to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols, children are entitled to special respect and protection, including being shielded from hostilities, kept with their families, and receiving necessary care and aid (API Art. 77 states they “shall be the object of special respect and shall be protected against any form of indecent assault,” and parties must “provide them with the care and aid they require”).

Viljoen, however, contends that insurgents abusing children—through actions like terrorizing civilians and abductions—demonstrate an inherent nature that defies this international legal standard.

“Surely nobody would have been expecting them [the armed groups] to observe international law and to observe the Geneva Convention and all of that. It is their nature to terrorize civilian populations, to abduct children. They do it in whichever part of the world they operate,” Viljoen told CWR.

“So I am not surprised because this is the nature of insurgents and terrorists, to act against international law.”

The DHPI Director decried the “terrible dangers” the children face, explaining that “the boys are forced to take up arms and to fight. The girls are either used for sex or to carry goods or to cook, or they are forced into marriage. So the children face huge dangers.”

A situation has worsened

Viljoen noted that the situation in Cabo Delgado has worsened, especially since post-election violence diverted attention from the regional war.

Following a disputed national election last year, security forces launched a brutal three-month crackdown on protesters.

Amnesty International, an international rights group, subsequently alleged that over 300 people were killed and more than 3,000 injured during the unrest.

“The general situation in Cabo Delgado is deteriorating,” Viljoen told CWR.

“I think the focus turned away from Cabo Delgado after the post-election violence, allowing the insurgency to worsen uninterrupted. The situation has become worse. While the government keeps claiming it’s under control, reports of further insurgent attacks—on the Rwandans or the Mozambican army—surface just days later. So the situation is really deteriorating,” he explained.

Mozambique: A history marked by conflict

After gaining independence from Portugal in 1975, Mozambique quickly descended into a brutal civil war that lasted from 1977 to 1992.

This conflict pitted the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), which had led the independence struggle, against the rebel Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO).

Initially supported by elements within the Portuguese colonial administration and later by external powers, RENAMO fought against FRELIMO’s socialist-oriented government.

The war resulted in the deaths of nearly one million people and the displacement of approximately five million others. The civil war officially ended with the signing of the General Peace Accords in Rome in 1992. This landmark agreement paved the way for democratic reforms, including multi-party elections.

For about two decades following the peace accords, Mozambique enjoyed a period of relative peace and stability, accompanied by significant economic growth, particularly between 2004 and 2015, when the economy expanded at an average rate of 8% per year.

The discovery of vast natural gas reserves off the coast in 2017 raised hopes for sustained prosperity. Despite these economic gains, the benefits were not evenly distributed. According to the World Bank, more than half of Mozambique’s population lived in poverty even as the nation’s overall economy grew.

In 2013, Mozambique slid back into conflict when RENAMO, now a primary opposition party, resumed armed hostilities.

This began with an attack on the Muxungué Police Station in April 2013, in retaliation for a police raid on its local headquarters.

A series of clashes followed between RENAMO forces and the government army. While a ceasefire preceded the October 2014 general elections (which saw President Filipe Nyusi elected and FRELIMO retaining its parliamentary majority), RENAMO disputed the results, leading to renewed tensions.

These were eventually calmed by a truce signed in 2016, though underlying political disagreements persisted.

In recent years, beginning in 2017, Mozambique’s security challenges have been dramatically compounded by the emergence of an Islamist insurgency in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

 While the group’s affiliations have evolved and are complex, it has strong links to and aspirations of aligning with global movements including ISIS (Islamic State).

This insurgency has inflicted devastating violence, particularly in northern Cabo Delgado. Reports indicate the group has expanded its control from initial strongholds around towns like Macomia, Mocímboa da Praia, and Muidumbe, operating or attacking in 14 of the province’s 15 districts.

The conflict in Cabo Delgado has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis, displacing an estimated 1.3 million people according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

“The country has never been at peace since independence,” Viljoen remarked.

Rude Matinada, a lecturer at the Catholic University of Mozambique, told CWR that peace is becoming more elusive because there are people among the country’s security forces working with those who sow the seeds of chaos.

“One of the strategies is to cleanse the ranks of all Mozambican forces,” he told CWR. “We don’t know if our police and other forces are there to guarantee order and security or to protect evildoers. The people don’t trust the country’s forces, and these forces need to be given back to the Mozambican people,” he explained.

While regional efforts, including the deployment of forces from neighboring countries and various diplomatic initiatives, have failed to quell the insurgency in Cabo Delgado, Viljoen argues that lasting peace requires addressing underlying political grievances.

He believes a crucial first step is the organization of peaceful, transparent, and credible elections.

“I think the only way peace can be restored to that country is if there are credible, legitimate elections, unrigged, unbiased, and if a government that truly reflects the will of the people takes over power in that country,” he told CWR.

Viljoen emphasized that without such political resolution, the suffering of civilians will continue, particularly children who are forced into combat, into marriage, kidnapped for ransom, and denied their right to education.