Mozambique: Six Peasants Beheaded
In Mozambique, at least six farmers were beheaded in the community of Natócua, in the Ancuabe district of Cabo Delgado, in one of the most brutal episodes of 2025. The attack, attributed to Islamist insurgents, intensifies the climate of terror that plagues northern Mozambique and rekindles the urgency for effective measures to protect rural populations.
The attack, which occurred on the afternoon of Monday, July 21, caught the victims in their fields, where they were working on harvesting corn, beans, peas and producing nipa, a traditional drink used locally as currency for transportation services.
The brutally mutilated bodies were located by Rwandan troops in collaboration with elements of the Local Force — composed of former Frelimo guerrillas — after a long journey on foot through the farming areas.
According to data from the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), an academic institution of the US Department of Defense, attacks by Islamic extremist groups in northern Mozambique caused at least 2024 deaths in 349 alone — a 36% increase over the previous year.
The Attacks
The Natócua attacks occurred just hours after another offensive recorded the previous day, Sunday, July 20, in the village of Nanduli, also in the district of Ancuabe, where insurgents set fire to a residence associated with a member of the Local Force, a fenced football field and a shed used for manufacturing nipa.
One of the bodies was found isolated in another field and buried in a mass grave, headless, which has never been located. According to community sources, the victims' faces and clothing allowed their identification, with the exception of a young man with dreadlocks whose head remains missing.
The escalation of violence caused widespread panic and led many residents to take refuge in the nearby woods, fearing further attacks. There are also reports of young people being kidnapped, who were later released.
Insecurity extends to the region's main roads, particularly National Road 380, which has been the scene of several kidnappings. Travelers are intercepted and forced to pay ransoms. On July 12, an ambulance at Mueda Hospital was ambushed by suspected terrorists, exacerbating the perceived vulnerability of essential public services, including the healthcare network.
"Even essential services, like ambulances, are at risk. The situation is worrying.", said Magid Sabune, provincial director of Health.
In response, the governor of Cabo Delgado, Valige Tauabo, announced in Mueda the reactivation of armed escorts in the most affected areas, in an attempt to restore some security in the rural districts most exposed to the action of armed groups.
Since 2017, Cabo Delgado has been living under the specter of terror caused by an Islamist-inspired armed rebellion that has already left thousands dead and displaced over a million people. The violence has even spread to neighboring Niassa province, where, in April of this year, attacks resulted in at least two deaths—two forest rangers being beheaded.
Conclusion
The series of attacks in Natócua and Nanduli exposes not only the ferocity of the armed groups operating in Cabo Delgado, but also the weaknesses of the Mozambican state in protecting its citizens.
The growing reliance on foreign forces, such as Rwandan troops, reveals the complexity of a conflict that transcends national borders and threatens the social fabric of entire communities. As violence rates rise, peace in Mozambique remains hostage to an invisible but devastating war.
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Picture: © DR
