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Mozambique: Aid unable to enter some Cabo Delgado districts
8:22 CAT | 05 Mar 2021
File photo: UN News
Humanitarian organisations can still not enter some districts in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, due to insecurity and access difficulties caused by the rainy season, the UN resident coordinator in the country told Lusa on Thursday.
“The districts in the north and east [of Cabo Delgado] still have many access problems, aggravated by the rainy season and security problems,” Myrta Kaulard said.
According to the latest United Nations (UN) report on constraints and insecurity in the region, the districts of Mocímboa da Praia and Muidumbe, as well as parts of the districts of Palma, Macomia and Quissanga, remain inaccessible for humanitarian partners due to insecurity.
There was a reduction in the number of incidents related to the armed conflict in Cabo Delgado in the first three weeks of January. Further attacks were reported at the end of the month and in February, she said.
Myrta Kaulard said that there was joint work with the Mozambican institutions to see how, little by little, those districts could be accessed, recognising that some are experiencing worrying situations due to incursions by armed groups.
Ongoing efforts to ensure security for humanitarian teams are resulting in some progress, but with more to do still, said Kaulard, acknowledging that the nature of the situation is complex.
The UN resident coordinator stressed that support needs have grown when the health crisis is extreme, pointing to increased risks for the spread of cholera and malaria.
Likewise, the mosquito that transmits malaria becomes a more serious threat because the displaced do not have mosquito nets, she said.
Attacks by armed groups began in 2017. The conflict with Mozambican forces continues, with the origin and motivations of the attackers still unclear – some attacks have been claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State, but only between June 2019 and November 2020, leaving the debate open.
The resulting humanitarian crisis includes 670,000 displaced people and more than 2,000 dead in a region identified for years as part of international trafficking routes for drugs, precious stones, timber and other resources.
Cabo Delgado is also the region where Africa’s largest private investment for natural gas extraction is advancing.
Source: Lusa
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