Nearly one million displaced due to violence since 2017 in Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique

UNHCR says security conditions are “too volatile” to “facilitate or promote” population returns

Oct. 4 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Around one million people have been displaced during the last five years due to the rise in insecurity caused by jihadist attacks in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado (north) and the operations by the security forces and their international allies, as reported on Tuesday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The agency’s spokesman, Matthew Saltmarsh, lamented that during these years “the conflict has not calmed down” and stressed that “thousands of families continue to be forced to leave their homes due to attacks by non-state armed groups”, for which he has called for “an end to the violence” and that the international community “provide sustainable support to reduce the suffering of the displaced population and the host communities.”

“Extreme violence and displacement have had a devastating impact on the population. People have seen their loved ones killed, beheaded and raped and their houses and other infrastructure burned to the ground,” he said, while stressing that “men and boys have also been forcibly recruited by armed groups”.

“Livelihoods have been lost, education has stalled and access to basic services such as food and healthcare has been disrupted. Many people have been repeatedly traumatized after being forced to relocate multiple times to save their lives.” “, said Saltmarsh, who has emphasized that the situation in Cabo Delgado “continues to deteriorate”.

In this regard, he detailed that the numbers of displaced persons have increased by 20 percent during the first half of this year, reaching 946,508, before recalling that the conflict has spread to the province of Nampula, the scene in September of four attacks that affected 47,000 people and displaced another 12,000, according to UNHCR data.

“People displaced during these latest attacks have brought to UNHCR that they were frightened and hungry. They lack medicine and live in overcrowded conditions, with four or five families sharing a house. Some sleep rough. The lack of privacy and exposure to cold at night and the elements during the day create additional health and safety concerns, especially for women and children,” she said.

Likewise, he stressed that “some people have returned to their homes in areas they consider safe”, although he emphasized that “people who have lost everything are returning to areas where services and humanitarian aid are not available in big measure”. “UNHCR is concerned about the risks that people face if they continue to return to their areas of origin before conditions have stabilized,” she explained.

“UNHCR is in favor of the returns of displaced families that are voluntary, safe, informed and dignified and when the conditions are adequate, including the restoration of basic services to guarantee their sustainability,” he reiterated, while stressing that the agency considers that security conditions are “too volatile” in Cabo Delgado to “facilitate or promote” these returns.

Despite this, Saltmarsh stressed that “the growing protection needs and limited services for those who have chosen to return home must be urgently addressed by relevant actors” and added that UNHCR “works closely” with the Government and other partners “to support and advocate for the inclusion of all displaced populations in national services”.

In recent months, the Mozambican authorities have highlighted an improvement in the security situation in the area due to joint operations with Rwandan special forces and troops deployed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Cabo Delgado has been the scene since October 2017 of attacks by Islamist militiamen known as Al Shabaab, unrelated to the homonymous group that operates in Somalia and maintains ties with Al Qaeda. Since mid-2019 they have been claimed mostly by the Islamic State in Central Africa (ISCA), which has intensified its actions since March 2020.