Mozambique: IS-linked group behind mass child kidnappings

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday released a report claiming that Islamic State-linked militants from the regional Islamist terror group al-Shabab have kidnapped at least 120 children in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province since the start of the year.

HRW says al-Shabab, which is not tied to the Somali terror outfit of the same name, "has ramped up abductions of children" with most "being used for transporting looted goods, forced labour, forced marriages, and taking part in the fighting."

"Al-Shabab needs to spare children from the conflict," said HRW's deputy director for Africa, adding, "Recruiting or using children under the age of 15 to participate actively in hostilities is a war crime."

Mozambique struggles to contain Islamist violence in north

Since 2017, the oil-rich Cabo Delgado region has been plagued by jihadist violence that has killed at least 6,000 people, displaced some 1.4 million more and forced the suspension of a giant gas exploration project by TotalEnergies.

Mozambique government forces have struggled to contain the violence, relying instead on support from troops from Rwanda, South Africa, and other regional partners.

Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), visited the region this month, exclaiming, "Climate shocks, increasing violence and spiralling hunger are having a terrible impact on the population." Egeland called the situation in northern Mozambique one of the world's neglected crises.

The NRC says more than 5 million people in the region now face critical levels of hunger and more than 900,000 face emergency hunger conditions. Problems in Cabo Delgado have been overshadowed by protests following last year's presidential elections. The situation has further deteriorated after numerous tornadoes battered the area and US President Donald Trump cut off foreign aid.