09/11/2020 Mozambique (International Christian Concern) – As the insurgency in Mozambique continues, there has been some good news. This past week, the main rebel group in Mozambique, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISCAP), released two catholic nuns whom they had captured three weeks prior. The nuns, Maria Inez Leite Ramos and Eliane Costa Santana, belong to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery.
Their sisterhood announced that they were freed on September 6, and are alive. They are still in Mozambique; though they have been moved outside the main area that the insurgents are active. They are currently receiving medical care and resting from the ordeal of being in captivity.
The extremist insurgency in Mozambique began in October 2017 in the Cabo Delgado province of Northern Mozambique. The rebels have greatly increased their attacks in 2020 and have gained the support of the Islamic State. In August, they captured the strategic port city of Mocimboa da Praia and have held it for nearly a month. As the insurgency continues and ISIS gains strength in Central Africa, more and more Christians are likely to suffer at the hands of the radicals who are taking control.
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