Jihadist Massacre 20 Men in Mozambique During Traditional Initiation Ceremony

According to EWN, 20 men have reportedly been massacred by Jihadists in Mozambique during a traditional male initiation ceremony. The bodies of 15 boys and five adult men are said to have been found dismembered. The massacre took place in the northeastern province of Cabo Delgado where a Jihadist group has reportedly dominated for the past three years. An aid worker from an international organisation, who refused to be named, recounted the chilling accounts of the gruesome findings. The bodies were reportedly found in a forest clearing in Muidumbe district.

Mozambican news reports state Jihadist attacked and raided six villages over the past weekend. Police were called to investigate reports of community members who found the dismembered bodies in the forest. The slain men's body parts are said to have been scattered within a 500-metre radius. Over a dozen of the men were beheaded. Police afterwards discovered the Jihadist attacks on villages through the investigation of the massacre.

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Jihadist insurgence in Mozambique reportedly began three years ago. The group call themselves by Somali's Jihadist al-Shabab but have no existing links to the north African group. The attack on a traditional ceremony highlights the the group's militant mission for a purely Islamic state. The attack on the young boys and advisors can possibly be read as a warning. Al-Shabab is a faction of Al-Queda, its insurgence has terrorised regions in East Africa in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda.

According to Jarkata Post, Jihadists in Mozambique shot dead and beheaded more than 50 youths for allegedly refusing to join their ranks in April this year. Over 2000 people have been killed since 2017, more than half of them civilians, according to the US-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data group. Over 400,000 others have been displaced by the conflict and sought refuge in nearby towns and cities. Around 100,000 people fled to the provincial capital Pemba via boat over the past week.

The bodies of the deceased were sent to their respective homes for proper burials. Jihadists in Mozambique have increased attacks over recent months and seized territories whilst terrorising citizens in the process. The Jihadist attackers are reported to have gone into hiding in the forests after the massacre. Mozambican authorities have yet to comment on the deaths.