Persecution Outlook: Mozambique

Christians account for more than half of Mozambique’s 32 million people but are highly vulnerable in certain parts of the country. Since 2017, more than 1,090 jihadist attacks have been reported in Mozambique, leaving Church facilities either damaged or destroyed outright, and forcing nearly a million people to flee (including priests and sisters, who continue pastoral care wherever they go). Additional threats to the population at large are the presence of drug cartels and an ongoing armed conflict between rebels and government forces. And the recent murder of a missionary sister indicates that the violence has a religious dimension. The terrorists want access to Mozambique’s natural resources, but they are also increasingly opposed to Christianity