At least 120 children have been kidnapped in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province in recent days, Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned on Tuesday, marking a sharp escalation in abductions by the ISIS-linked group locally known as Al Shabab.

According to HRW, the abducted minors are forced to transport looted goods, perform forced labour, serve as child soldiers, or endure forced marriages, compounding the region’s mounting humanitarian crisis.

Witnesses described several high-profile raids: on January 23, militants seized seven children from Mumu village, releasing two but holding five; in March, six children in Chibau were briefly abducted for looting; and in May, abductions were reported near Ntotwe and Magaia villages, where girls and boys were taken for combat training or servitude.

Cabo Delgado has been engulfed in jihadist violence since 2017, with Mozambican forces struggling to contain the insurgency and relying on Rwandan, South African, and other regional troops for support.

In 2020, Al Shabab militants beheaded dozens—many of them children—in a series of brutal attacks. The ongoing violence has now displaced over 600,000 people and spread into neighboring provinces, the United Nations reports, leaving communities fractured and aid routes perilously insecure.

HRW highlighted the severe lack of reintegration services for rescued children, who often return traumatized and stigmatized, with no psychological, educational, or medical support available in their home communities.

“Al Shabab must immediately release all abducted children and cease targeting minors,” urged Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, HRW’s deputy Africa director. The group called on Mozambique’s government to step up search efforts, prosecute perpetrators, and safeguard at-risk youth under both national and international law.

Analysts say the Cabo Delgado crisis has been overshadowed by post-election protests, ravaging cyclones, and cuts to U.S. foreign aid under President Trump—factors that have diverted attention and resources away from battling the insurgency.

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, described northern Mozambique as a “neglected crisis”, warning that climate shocks, escalating violence, and spiralling hunger are decimating already vulnerable populations.

Mozambique’s Constitution and the 2008 Children’s Rights Law guarantee protections against abduction and exploitation, while the nation is party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on Armed Conflict—treaties that explicitly prohibit recruitment of child combatants and demand accountability for violations.

With abductions surging again, experts warn that without a comprehensive prevention strategy, more children will be plucked from classrooms and homes, fueling cycles of violence and recruitment that could take generations to break.

HRW and humanitarian partners are urging a coordinated response involving Mozambican authorities, regional forces, and UN agencies to search for missing children, bolster community protection mechanisms, and ensure that every abducted child is rapidly freed and rehabilitated.

IN THIS ARTICLE