IS militants ‘behead more than 50 men and boys’ in Mozambique

Suspected Islamist militants beheaded more than 50 men and teenagers participating in a male initiation ceremony in Mozambique, according to local reports.

The terrorists reportedly turned the Madjedje Football Field into an "execution ground", where they decapitated and chopped bodies.

The dismembered bodies were found strewn across a forest clearing in Muidumbe district, it was reported after the three-day massacre.

Islamist militants operating in the area had attacked several nearby villages over the weekend, looting and burning down homes before retreating into caves and forest undergrowth.

"Police learnt of the massacre committed by the insurgents through reports of people who found corpses in the woods," said an officer in the neighbouring Mueda district who asked not to be named by local media.

"It was possible to count 20 bodies spread over an area of about 500 metres," he added.

"These were young people who were at an initiation rite ceremony accompanied by their advisers."

The gunmen chanted "Allahu Akbar", fired shots, and set homes alight when they raided Nanjaba village on Friday night, the state-owned Mozambique News Agency quoted survivors as saying.

Up to 2,000 people have been killed and about 430,000 have been left homeless in the conflict in the mainly-Muslim province.

The militants are linked to the Islamic State (IS) group, giving it a foothold in southern Africa.

In August, they seized the province’s strategic port town where they have

According to the government, nearly 35,000 houses have either been partially or totally destroyed.

It is the poorest province in Mozambique, with high unemployment yet he area is rich in oil deposits, liquefied natural gas fields and gems. But it is reported locals have not benefited.