At least 120 children abducted by Al Shabab in northern Mozambique, HRW says

At least 120 children in northern Mozambique have been kidnapped  by jihadist insurgent group Al Shabab, international NGO Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.  

The children are reportedly being used to transport stolen goods, perform forced labour, and in some cases serve as child soldiers or be forced into marriage. 

Mozambique has been battling the Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado province since 2017. Government forces have struggled to contain the violence, relying on support from troops sent by Rwanda, South Africa, and other regional partners. 

In 2020, the insurgents carried out a wave of attacks in which they beheaded dozens of people, including children.  

Witnesses have said that children abducted from towns and villages have been used as fighters in subsequent attacks. 

The violence has displaced more than 600,000 people and spilled into neighboring provinces, according to the United Nations. 

'Neglected crisis'

Human Rights Watch says there has been a resurgence of attacks and child kidnappings in the last two months and called on Mozambique's government to do more to find the children and prevent further abductions. 

The problems in Cabo Delgado were largely overshadowed by Mozambique's deadly and long-running post-election protests last year. Cabo Delgado has also been battered by several recent cyclones and hurt by US President Donald Trump's cuts to foreign aid. 

The Norwegian Refugee Council's Secretary General, Jan Egeland, visited Cabo Delgado this month and described the situation in northern Mozambique as a neglected crisis. 

“Climate shocks, increasing violence and spiralling hunger are having a terrible impact on the population,” Egeland said.