Mozambique: Over 3,600 displaced from two districts in four days – IOM

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Over 3,600 displaced from two districts in four days – IOM

12:50 CAT | 26 Sep 2025

Image: IOM

More than 3,600 people fled two districts of Cabo Delgado in four days due to the resurgence of terrorist attacks in the northern Mozambican province, according to data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

According to a field report from the United Nations agency, “between 19 and 22 September 2025, escalating attacks and insecurity caused by Non-State Armed Groups (NSAG) in Cabo Delgado have triggered new displacements across Balama and Mocímboa da Praia districts.”

The report adds that, “on 19 September, an NSAG attack in Monapo village (Mavala posto) in Balama district forced 2,121 individuals to flee towards Ntete locality in Balama.”

Also during this period, “renewed incidents in Mocímboa da Praia, particularly in [the neighbourhoods] Bairro 30 de Junho and Filipe Nyusi, displaced an estimated 1,185 individuals, with most seeking safety in Mueda district.”

“Food, shelter, and protection services have been reported as the most urgent needs,” reads the report, which totals 3,607 displaced individuals in these four days — the equivalent of 831 families, including 44 pregnant women and 71 elderly people.

Meanwhile, people in Intutupue, Ancuabe district, and Impiri, Metuge district, in Cabo Delgado, on Thursday reported moments of panic as armed groups of suspected terrorists passed through their communities.

According to local sources, the movement began around 7:00 AM on Wednesday, when a group of men wielding machetes and other weapons crossed National Highway Number 1 (N1), on the border between Intutupue, Ancuabe district, and Impiri, Metuge district, heading towards Chiúre district. This caused despair among residents, who abandoned their homes in fear of these groups, which have been operating in Cabo Delgado, a gas-rich province, since 2017.

By the end of July, attacks by terrorist groups in southern Cabo Delgado had already displaced more than 57,000 people in Chiúre district, according to previous official data.

Cabo Delgado province has seen a resurgence of rebel attacks since July, with the districts of Chiúre, Muidumbe, Quissanga, Ancuabe, Meluco, and most recently Mocímboa da Praia being targeted, with several deaths reported.

In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks in northern Mozambique, most claimed by the extremist group Islamic State — a 36% increase compared to the previous year, according to a study released by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), an academic institution of the US Department of Defence.

Source: Lusa