Mozambique: Religion is just pretext for Islamic extremist violence – priest

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Mozambique: Religion is just pretext for Islamic extremist violence – priest

11:24 CAT | 11 Nov 2025

FILE- For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Lusa]

Spiritan priest Tony Neves told Lusa news agency that “religion is just a pretext” for attacks by Islamic extremists in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.

The Spiritan missionary emphasised that “Islamic fundamentalist groups are attacking Christian villages, churches and chapels”. Still, it said that “behind these attacks is the whole issue of gas and the natural wealth of the area”.

Tony Neves emphasised the similarities between northern Mozambique and other conflict-affected regions of Africa.

“In Cabo Delgado, as in Nigeria, religious evocation serves to cover up deep economic interests,” but also political ones, he said.

The cleric lamented the human losses and destruction caused by the attacks.

“Whole villages have been wiped out, everything destroyed. An Italian sister, a Comboni missionary, was murdered two years ago in the Cabo Delgado area,” he recalled.

Although the Spiritans don’t have a direct presence in the diocese of Pemba, the priest explained that the congregation remains active in neighbouring regions and closely monitors the situation.

“The data we have is the same as everyone knows. It’s a tragic and proven reality,” he said.

He also emphasised that although the majority of the communities in Cabo Delgado are Muslim, they have always lived in perfect harmony with the rest of the country.

“The truth is that, when talking about Mozambique, there has always been a very strong Islamic community, but one that has always got on very well with the Christian community,” he concluded.

The gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been the target of extremist attacks for eight years, with the first attack recorded on 5 October 2017 in the district of Mocímboa da Praia.

A survey by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) organisation estimates that the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado recorded at least 12 violent events between 13 and 26 October, causing 18 civilian deaths.

Almost 93,000 people have fled Cabo Delgado and Nampula since the end of September due to the upsurge in attacks in northern Mozambique, doubling the number of displaced people in just a few days, according to previous data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

According to the latest ACLED report, of the 2,236 violent events recorded since October 2017 in Cabo Delgado, a total of 2,061 involved details associated with Islamic State Mozambique (ISM).

In just over eight years, these attacks have caused 6,659 deaths.

On 6 October, the president of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, called the attacks in Cabo Delgado “barbaric acts” and against “human dignity”.

Source: Lusa