US EditionISIS-Linked Insurgents Abduct Over 120 Children in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado
- On January 23, 2025, Al-Shabab militants abducted at least 120 children in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, during several attacks including one in Mumu village.
- The abductions increased amid an Islamist insurgency ongoing since 2017, with militants using children for forced labor, fighting, and transporting looted goods.
- Human Rights Watch interviewed nine stakeholders in May and June 2025, who expressed concern about recurring kidnappings and the lack of reintegration support for returned children.
- Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz urged Al-Shabab to release children immediately and called on Mozambique’s government to act decisively to protect children and prosecute perpetrators.
- The surge in abductions worsens a humanitarian crisis with over 600,000 displaced people and highlights the need for coordinated efforts to rescue children and provide robust reintegration services.
30 Articles
30 Articles
The children are probably used to transport stolen goods or perform forced labor.
Over 120 Children Abducted by ISIS-Linked Insurgents in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado - teleSUR English
At least 120 children have been kidnapped in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province in recent days, Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned on Tuesday, marking a sharp escalation in abductions by the ISIS-linked group locally known as Al Shabab. According to HRW, the abducted minors are forced to transport looted goods, perform forced labour, serve as child soldiers, or endure forced marriages, compounding the region’s mounting humanitarian crisis.…
At least 120 children abducted by Al Shabab in northern Mozambique, HRW says
At least 120 children have been kidnapped by jihadist insurgents in northern Mozambique in recent days, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday, warning of a rise in abductions in the country's troubled Cabo Delgado province.
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