Nearly 100,000 flee northern Mozambique amid escalating attacks, UN Warns
The conflict in northern Mozambique began in October 2017, when armed groups launched attacks in parts of Cabo Delgado province.
Nearly 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in northern Mozambique in just two weeks as a fresh wave of attacks hits the region, the United Nations Refugee Agency has warned.
The conflict in northern Mozambique began in October 2017, when armed groups launched attacks in parts of Cabo Delgado province. Since then, villages have repeatedly come under attack, with more than 1.3 million people displaced over the years.
More To Read
- Kenyan High Commission in Maputo warns nationals over visa breaches in Mozambique
- Violence in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado cripples access to healthcare, MSF warns
- Samora Machel’s vision for Mozambique didn’t survive: What has taken its place?
- Mozambique after 50 years of independence: What’s there to celebrate?
- Malawi struggles to feed thousands as refugees from Mozambique add to crisis
- Mozambicans flee to neighbouring Malawi amid post-election unrest
UNHCR's representative in Mozambique, Xavier Creach, speaking virtually to reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, said families arriving at makeshift shelters described terrifying night raids in which armed men stormed their villages, burned homes and attacked residents. Many fled with nothing, while others were separated from loved ones as they ran for safety.
The agency warned that the scale of the current displacement is overwhelming existing aid efforts, with thousands reaching temporary sites where shelter, food, clean water and medical services are either limited or unavailable.
Creach added that the conflict has now spread beyond Cabo Delgado and is spreading into neighbouring Nampula. The recent displacement marks one of the largest spikes in movement this year.
Data from the latest Mozambique Conflict Monitor update, issued on November 26 by the non-profit Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), shows that Cabo Delgado recorded 14 incidents of political violence between November 10 and 23, resulting in 12 deaths, including civilians.
Across the country, 14 attacks were carried out by the Islamic State in Mozambique (ISM). Since the insurgency began in 2017, ACLED reports more than 2,200 violent events, over 6,300 deaths from political violence, nearly 2,700 civilian fatalities and more than 2,100 attacks linked to ISM.
"Operations by Mozambican and Rwandan forces in Macomia district in recent weeks have placed pressure on Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) fighters who had been operating along the coast and in Catupa forest. As is usual in response to such actions, ISM militants dispersed westward to Muidumbe and northern Montepuez," the update reads.
"Meanwhile, the group increased operations in Eráti and Memba districts in Nampula province. Their impact in Nampula has been great. Over 60,000 civilians have fled their homes since 10 November following a series of attacks there."
Top Stories Today
