from ARMANDO DOMINGOS in Maputo, Mozambique
Mozambique Bureau
MAPUTO, (CAJ News) – THE United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is concerned at attacks on villages forcing tens of thousands of people to flee across northern Mozambique.
Close to 100 000 have been displaced in the past fortnight alone.
As needs rise at unprecedented speed, the capacity of humanitarian and government actors is not keeping pace, and collective efforts remain insufficient to meet the scale of protection and assistance required on the ground.
The violence has spilled into previously safe districts.
The conflict by Islamist groups, which began in Cabo Delgado in 2017, has already displaced over 1,3 million people.
However, 2025 has seen a dangerous shift: attacks are now happening simultaneously and spreading beyond Cabo Delgado into Nampula province, threatening communities that had previously hosted displaced families.
“As the violence spreads rapidly, civilians have almost no warning and are arriving at makeshift sites, including schools and open spaces,” UNHCR stated.
It noted many fled without any civil documentation and no access to essential services, walking for days in extreme fear.
“The lack of safe routes and basic support leaves families, especially women and girls, at heightened risk of exploitation and abuse, just at the time when humanitarians globally are marking 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence.”
Schools, churches and open spaces are crowded with newly arrived families, with many sleeping in the open.
Lack of lighting and privacy in these communal shelters is exposing women and girls.
Many children are unaccompanied or separated from their families.
UNHCR will require US$38,2 million in 2026 to meet rising needs across northern Mozambique. Funding for 2025 stands at 50 percent of the $42,7 million required.
– CAJ News