UNHCR “deeply concerned about the escalating humanitarian crisis in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique”

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UNHCR “deeply concerned about the escalating humanitarian crisis in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique”

2:20 CAT | 04 Mar 2024

UNHCR staff carry out a needs assessment with some of those arriving to Namapa, in Nampula province, after fleeing recent attacks by non-state armed groups in Cabo Delgado. [Image: UNHCR Mozambique]

“Since the beginning of February, more than 70,000 people have been forcibly displaced. In Chiure district alone, over 56,000 people have been affected,” UNHCR reported on Friday.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR is “deeply concerned about the escalating humanitarian crisis in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, as the recent surge in violence by non-state armed groups continues to force thousands of people to flee towards southern districts in search of safety,” UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told a press conference at the Palace of Nations in Geneva this Friday (01-03).

According to the UNHCR, “since the latest outbreak of violence and attacks on civilians at the beginning of February, more than 70,000 people have been forcibly displaced across the districts of Macomia, Chiure, Mecufi, Mocimboa da Praia and Muidumbe. In Chiure district alone, over 56,000 people have been affected. More than 33,000 have crossed into Nampula Province”.
“Nearly 90% of those displaced are women, many of them pregnant, people with disabilities, and the elderly,” the agency says, adding that “more than half of the newly displaced are children”, which “underscores the urgent need for targeted assistance and protection measures to address the needs of vulnerable populations”.

“The violence has also been marked by extensive destruction of residential areas and religious and community facilities such as schools and health centres,” the report continues. “This rampant destruction has further exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation in Mozambique, where over 709,000 people remain internally displaced due to violence perpetrated by non-state armed groups and the impact of the climate crisis.”

Since the attacks in Cabo Delgado began in October, 2017, around one million people have been forced to move, with more than 709,000 remain internally displaced. Violence in the region is also marked by the destruction of homes, religious and community facilities, such as schools and health centres.

According to a bulletin from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), between December 22, 2023 and February 25 of this year, attacks or fear of attacks in the five districts mentioned led to the flight of at least 15,470 families, joining at least 58,116 displaced by the February attacks, of which 35,295 are children, making 71,681 people in total.

UNHCR is deeply concerned about the escalating humanitarian crisis in Cabo Delgado🇲🇿, as the recent surge in violence continues to force thousands of 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 to flee towards southern districts in search of safety.

Read more in https://t.co/dd0pKG6djy

— UNHCR Mozambique (@UNHCRMozambique) March 1, 2024