Displaced numbers double

The number of internally displaced persons due to violence in northern Mozambique has doubled since March and now stands at 250,000, according to the latest information from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). [You may access the full document HERE]

” At least 250,000 people are now estimated to be internally displaced in Cabo Delgado, while more than 5,500 people have arrived Nampula and over 100 in Niassa,,” neighbouring provinces, according to data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The figures published by OCHA on Tuesday represent more than double the number of people displaced in March 2020 (over 110,000), and many people have been displaced multiple times.

At the same time, lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities, compounded by floods and heavy rains in December 2019 and January 2020, have led to a cholera outbreak, with over 1,200 cases and 18 deaths reported in the province up to 1 July 2020., OCHA said.

Severe food insecurity has risen due to the combination of Cyclone Kenneth, floods and violence.

In addition to this scenario, Cabo Delgado has been a focus of Covid-19, concentrating roughly a quarter of the approximately 1,000 cases of new coronavirus infection recorded in the country.

Humanitarian needs are on the rise and the United Nations launched a $35 million (€30 million) appeal to the international community in early June for a Rapid Response Plan for Cabo Delgado to be implemented from May to December.

One month later, the response to the appeal is around 20% of the budget.

Adding to the impoverished host communities, it is estimated that there are 712,000 people in need of help and the plan aims to support 354,000, about half, by the end of the year.

The armed violence in Cabo Delgado has intensified since March but has been going on since 2017, causing the death of at least 700 people, in a movement whose origin is still under debate and to which the jihadist Islamic State group has been associated for a year, demanding various incursions.

The Mozambican Defence and Security Forces (FDS) are on the ground, but information about their activity is scarce, referring occasionally to some actions – at the end of May, they announced a counter-attack that added to others will have resulted in the slaughter of 150 rebels and some heads.