At least nine Christians in Cabo Delgado Province, northern Mozambique, have been killed in separate attacks by Islamist insurgents.
The worst atrocity took place on 22 July, when fighters from Islamic State Mozambique (IS-M) captured and beheaded six Christians from the village of Natocua, Ancuabe district.
Three more were killed in Chiure district in attacks on 24 and 25 July.
Islamic State Mozambique glories in the slaughter of Christians and the burning of churches
IS-M has been waging an insurgency in Cabo Dalgado since 2017, slaughtering thousands of people.
The insurgents have also demanded that Christians pay a jizya tax as a sign of their submission to the self-styled caliphate.
IS-M is closely linked to the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP, formerly known as the Allied Democratic Forces), which was responsible for the deaths of at least 34 Christians at a church service in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday 27 July.
Both groups are co-ordinated by the Islamic State Al Karrar Office in Somalia, which is headed by Abdulqadir Mumin, believed by some analysists to be the global leader of Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh).
How you can pray
Ask that the Lord will minister through the Holy Spirit to the bereaved family and friends of those killed. Pray for an end to the insurgency in northern Mozambique, and to the power of Islamic State in Mozambique, D. R. Congo and beyond.
