The Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP), a Salafi jihadist militant group and an official affiliate of the Islamic State, last month beheaded 30 Christians and burned down churches and homes in Mozambique, according to a report by MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM), which tracks activity by terrorist and violent extremist organizations.

ISMP in late September claimed responsibility for the attacks, which took place in northern Mozambique's Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces, according to the report.

The group said it destroyed at least seven churches, shot and beheaded more than two dozen people, and committed acts of arson against Christians and other civilians in several villages.

Violent attacks in Cabo Delgado Province started in 2017, according to the Christian Broadcasting Network. More than 6,000 people have been killed and thousands more displaced since then.

"It is hard to process the fact that in 2025 you have people around the world who are terrorists who are beheading Christians. It is the most horrific thing imaginable," said CBN’s Billy Hallowell.

"Can you imagine if the headline [read] the IDF beheads 30 Palestinians?" CBN’s Raij Nair responded. "We would be talking about the biggest news story since 9/11."

Major media outlets have failed to report on the "genocide happening against Christians" in multiple countries in Africa, he added.

"The world does not care," he said.

Nearly 22,000 people fled their homes in a single week in late September because of the violence, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"The recent surge in violence marks a turning point in northern Mozambique. After years of uncertainty, families are reaching their limit as some stay despite the danger and others flee again with little hope of return," UNHCR's Mozambique representative Xavier Creach said at a press briefing in Geneva Tuesday.

"The new wave of displacement is among the largest recorded this year, with over 100,000 people already forced to escape.

"During 2025, the violence has sharply accelerated," he added.

"By the end of August, over 500 security incidents affecting civilians had been recorded, including raids on villages, abductions, killings of civilians, looting, and the destruction of homes and infrastructure. In 2022, considered one of the most intense periods of the conflict, 435 incidents were reported."