Pope Leo XIV warns of new wave of violence in Cabo Delgado

In his address during the Sunday, August 24 Angelus, the Holy Father expressed concern that violence, especially in Mozambique’s Northern province, Cabo Delgado, has continued to cause death and displacement, and appealed to the international community not to forget the plight of those suffering in the Southern African country.

“Dear brothers and sisters, I express my closeness to the people of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, who have become victims of an unsecure and violent situation that continues to cause death and displacement,” Pope Leo XIV said. He added, “In asking you not to forget these brothers and sisters of ours, I invite you to pray for them, and I express my hope that the efforts of the country’s leaders will succeed in restoring security and peace in that territory.”

Insurgency in Mozambique’s Northern province of Cabo Delgado is linked to the Al-Shabaab, a militant group that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Since 2017, the insurgency has reportedly resulted in over 6,100 deaths and displaced over 716,000 people. In latest reported incidences, attacks by armed groups between July 20-28 triggered the displacement of at least 46,667 people across Cabo Deldago’s districts of Chiúre, Ancuabe and Muidumbe. Chiúre was reportedly the hardest hit, with more than 42,000 people uprooted, over half of them children.

The worsening humanitarian crisis in Cabo Delgado has spilled over to neighbouring provinces, especially Nampula and Niassa where thousands of internally displaced people have sought refuge in mushrooming camps. The Al-Shabaab have unleashed extreme violence on villages, including kidnapping, beheading, and the destruction of homes.

Meanwhile, Bishop António Juliasse  Sandramo of Mozambique’s Catholic Diocese of Pemba has responded to Pope Leo’s message, emphasizing the importance of the Holy Father’s words and his “closeness” to these people who suffer “horribly.”

In a message published by Catholic Pontifical and charity foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International on Monday, August 25, Bishop Juliasse said the Holy Father’s message “is, first and foremost, an act of his greatest closeness to the people of Cabo Delgado, who suffer horribly from a war that began in 2017 and which continues to cause destruction of lives, infrastructure, various goods and limits the possibility of any development.

The Mozambican Catholic Bishop of Pemba emphasized that Pope Leo XIV’s words are an “invitation for this war not to be forgotten”, and are also “a great incentive for efforts for peace to be reinvigorated and for the people, victims of war, particularly the internally displaced and so many others who carry trauma, to find some help from the solidarity of the entire world.”

“I think the Holy Father is saying very simply that there are no wars worthy of being forgotten, because every war harms life and violates the dignity of the human person,” the Catholic Bishop said.

Agnes Aineah – ACI Africa