“We are running, fleeing, trying to hide here on the shore. They are shooting everywhere. May it be as God wills, here in Palma…The houses have been abandoned.”

These were the words of a voice message an unnamed man sent Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) during an attack in March by more than 150 insurgents on the port town of Palma, northern Mozambique.

Since 2017, a militant group called ‘Al-Shabaab’, with links to Daesh (ISIS), has waged a violent insurgency that has seen children as young as 11 beheaded and churches destroyed.

Bishop Luiz Fernando Lisboa, who has ministered to the region’s refugees, told ACN how Christians in the country are being targeted by the extremists.

Speaking after 52 young people were massacred in Muidumbe District for refusing to join the extremists, he said: “They attacked the church and burnt the benches and a statue of Our Lady, made of ebony…"

Thanks to you, ACN is able to provide extensive support to Mozambique including church reconstruction, pastoral support and psychological help for those suffering from trauma, as well as emergency aid.