Mozambique: Food aid to reach over 500,000 in Cabo Delgado – UN

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Mozambique: Food aid to reach over 500,000 in Cabo Delgado – UN

8:21 CAT | 04 Mar 2021

File photo: Lusa

The World Food Programme (WFP) plans to expand aid to over 500,000 people in the humanitarian crisis in Cabo Delgado, a region in northern Mozambique under attack by rebels since three years ago.

Aid has already reached more than 400,000 people and the plan after February is to reach 500,000, Antonella D’Aprile, WFP’s representative in Mozambique, said on Wednesday.

“We know it is not enough: more people are fleeing to reach safe areas because of the conflict,” she added at the ceremony to hand over a donation of $3.6 million (€2.9 million) from Japan to United Nations agencies.

The Mozambican authorities and humanitarian agencies estimated that 670,000 people have been forced to flee their lands in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Niassa and Nampula.

Thus, overall, and in a context aggravated by cyclones and Covid-19, it is estimated that 1.3 million people need different types of aid.

In addition to WFP, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also benefit from the donation delivered by Japan on Wednesday.

About half of the displaced are children and young people, many of whom have lost their parents or are separated from them, said Maria-Luisa Fornara, representative of UNICEF, an agency that tries to provide shelter to the youngest and which receives a share of $686,000 (€568,000) of the Japanese donation.

UNFPA will direct $1 million (€830,000) to keep active services that guarantee sexual and reproductive health care and combat gender violence.

“The humanitarian crisis aggravated by the impact of Covid-19 has an extremely negative impact on the health and financial situation of women,” said Andrea Wojnar, representative of this UN agency.

The WFP will receive $2 million (€1.6 million) at a time when it has strengthened its logistics operation by using an aircraft to reach more remote areas.

Japan “will always” stand by Mozambique, said ambassador Hajime Kimura, who described the donation to UN agencies as a way of relieving the country as it faced serious challenges, such as the deterioration of the security situation in Cabo Delgado, as well as the impact of Covid-19, he said.

The donation is seen as an example by Myrta Kaulard, United Nations resident coordinator in Mozambique, which she hopes will be followed, given the appeal launched in December to raise $254 million (€210 million) for humanitarian support to Cabo Delgado.

Attacks by armed groups began in 2017 and the conflict with Mozambican forces continues, with the origin and motivations of the attackers remaining unclear – some attacks have been claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State between June 2019 and November 2020.

The resulting humanitarian crisis includes more than two thousand 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