IS-linked group abducting children in Mozambique: HRW
Islamic State-linked militants active in northern Mozambique are increasingly abducting children, with at least 120 kidnapped this year although some have already been released, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.
The gas-rich region has been plagued for years by jihadist violence that has killed thousands of people, caused others to flee and forced the suspension of a giant gas exploration project by TotalEnergies.
The armed group operating in Cabo Delgado province "has ramped up abductions of children", using them as fighters or for labour or marriage, the rights group said in a statement.
"In recent days, 120 or more children have been abducted," said Abudo Gafuro, executive director at the Kwendeleya national organisation that monitors attacks, in the statement.
This was the number of abductions recorded since January 2025, HRW deputy Africa director Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz told AFP when asked for details.
"Most of the abducted children are being used for transporting looted goods, forced labour, forced marriages, and taking part in the fighting," the statement said.
Some children had been released and it was unclear how many remained in the hands of the armed group, known locally as al-Shabab -- though with no links to the Somali militants of a similar name.
HRW said it had interviewed nine people -- Cabo Delgado residents, journalists, civil society activists and a UN official -- who had all expressed concern about "the resurgence of kidnappings".
The impoverished region is remote and attacks often fall under the radar, partly due to the silence of officials.
- War crime -
In one incident in March, the group abducted six children to carry looted goods and only released four.
In a raid on a village in Muidumbe district on May 11, they abducted six girls and two boys.
"Al-Shabab needs to spare children from the conflict," said Budoo-Scholtz. "Recruiting or using children under the age of 15 to participate actively in hostilities is a war crime," said HRW.
Earlier this month, the UN children's agency said it was "deeply concerned" by reports of violent attacks and abductions targeting children.
Three girls, the youngest only 12 years old, were killed in the attack in Muidumbe, UNICEF said, adding it was a "tragic reminder of the dangers children face in conflict-affected areas".
At least 6,000 people, including 2,500 civilians, have been killed in northern Mozambique since 2017 due to insurgency in the region, stalling the exploitation of vast offshore gas deposits discovered in 2010.
More than 1.3 million have been displaced by the conflict, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA.
In a major incident in 2021, the IS-linked militants attacked the port town of Palma in an assault that lasted several days, sending thousands of people fleeing into the surrounding forest.
