For nearly a decade, the Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique has been gripped by terror. The local al-Shabaab militants, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2019, employ the same barbaric methods as the organization's other affiliates in Africa. Among their most destructive weapons of terror: the mass abduction of women and children.

Stolen childhood: Rasheed, recruited at age 7

Rasheed has just regained his freedom and is now living with an aunt in Mocimboa da Praia. His childhood was stolen from him at the age of seven when he was kidnapped by insurgents. Now 13 years old, he recounts the daily hell he endured in terrorist bases:

“Life was very hard. There was no food. We went to the fields, we went to fetch water, and if we didn’t find anything to bring back, we were beaten. We had bruises all over and diseases. They taught us how to fight and how to use weapons. I know how to use a Kalashnikov.”

The heartbreak of families: Olessa's fight

In 2020, Olessa Ibrahimou's life was turned upside down when al-Shabaab stormed her village and rounded up the young people. She helplessly witnessed the abduction of her two eldest daughters, then aged 15 and 17.

1. A tragic reprieve: The terrorists spared Olessa and her three youngest children only because she was pregnant.
2. An open wound: " I think about them, about what's become of them, every day, " the mother confides. Recently, a fugitive brought her a glimmer of hope mixed with sadness: her youngest daughter is still alive and has just given birth to a baby boy in captivity.

Slavery and systemic violence in the forests

Hidden deep within the region's dense forests, the Shebab have established an inhumane system of exploitation. Angelina Formane, a social worker for Doctors Without Borders (MSF), regularly collects the stories of those who have managed to escape. She describes a veritable protocol of horror:

1. The sorting: Upon arrival at the camp, the women are lined up so that the fighters can choose their personal “wives” or slaves.
2. Forced labor: The captives are forced to transport military equipment and logistics for the insurgents.
3. Internal terror: The kidnappers force some prisoners to watch over the others to stifle any escape attempt.
4. Sexual abuse: Women who are not selected by a particular fighter are collectively raped and left at the disposal of the entire group.