ISIS-Mozambique Steps Up Attacks in Macomia using Child Soldiers

Using child soldiers is something we expect to see in conflicts such as these.

Meanwhile, ISIS-Mozambique (IS-M) has stepped up its game recently. Zitimar reports that the attacks in the area continue. The news source says that at least 10 Mozambican soldiers were killed on Tuesday in an attack by IS-M terrorists on a military outpost near the village of Quinto Congresso in the Macomia district of Cabo Delgado province.

I suspect what IS-M is doing in attacking Macomia is not only a strategic and ideological effort but it’s also about getting supplies.

(RE: ‘Not All Insurgencies, Guerrillas and Terrorists Require Outside Support to Survive and Continue’, 27 May: https://roycedemelo.com/2025/05/27/not-all-insurgencies-guerrillas-and-terrorists-require-outside-support-to-survive-and-continue/)

–RdM

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HRW — Mozambique: Child Soldiers Used in Raid on Northern Town

Islamist Armed Group Deploys Boys as Young as 13 in Attack on Macomia

(Johannesburg) – An armed group linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) in northern Mozambique used boys as young as 13 to raid and loot the town of Macomia, in Cabo Delgado province, on May 10, 2024, Human Rights Watch said today. It is unclear if the children also engaged in fighting against government armed forces. The recruitment and use of children under age 15 as child soldiers is a war crime.

The armed group, known locally as Al-Shabab, attacked Macomia to loot shops and warehouses before targeting government forces’ positions in the town, triggering heavy fighting. Several witnesses, including relatives of the boys, told Human Rights Watch that among the Al-Shabab fighters who took part in the raid were dozens of boys carrying ammunition belts and AK-style assault rifles. Two people from the same family said they recognized their 13-year-old nephew among the children.

“The armed group Al-Shabab’s use of children as soldiers is cruel, unlawful, and only adds to the horrors of Cabo Delgado’s conflict,” said Zenaida Machado, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Al-Shabab should immediately release all children in their ranks and stop any further recruitment.”