The Voice of the suffering in Africa

According to information received by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the village was attacked in the early hours of Sunday, February 18th, leaving 11 dead, including five children, and seven injured.

"On the one hand, I am anxious, but on the other, I feel a deep trust in God. The strength to be a bishop does not come from myself, but from the Lord. I did not seek this ministry. Jesus said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you” (John 15:16).

We ask ourselves: how did this happen? Who is supporting them? Who is funding them? Some of them are Burkinabe, our brothers, and they don’t even cover their faces. But the question is why. Why are they kidnapping and killing people? Why are they coming to take our goods and animals, and burning villages?”

For now, the main concern has been finding shelter and support for the internally displaced. “They are fleeing villages that are reduced to ashes, and those whose villages might be next  are also running. The only thing they are sure of is the starting point… They are searching for a safe place; I don’t know where they will find it. Perhaps they will have to settle for the least unsafe.”

The insurgency in northern Mozambique began in 2017, but attacks have increased this year. In the last few days alone, there have been several raids on towns and villages, and people have been kidnapped and killed.

Given the destruction and enforced closure of ecclesiastical facilities, like parishes, schools, and hospitals, , the Church in the region is struggling to care for its people. But in many places, it is the only local institution coming to anyone’s aid.