THE agency reports that nearly 100,000 people have been displaced in the past two weeks alone, following intensifying attacks on villages and a rapid spread of violence in previously safe districts.
Speaking from Erati, a conflict-ridden region in northern Mozambique, Xavier Creach expressed concern over the attacks and his failure to respond adequately.
“These simultaneous attacks in several districts generate an enormous challenge for humanitarian actors who must increase emergency interventions in different areas of the country,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we lack resources“, he added.
Houses burned, villages attacked
The violence, which began in 2017 in the country’s northernmost province, Cabo Delgado, has already displaced more than 1.3 million people.
According to the United Nations refugee agency, it has spread beyond the province and into Nampula this year, threatening communities that had previously hosted displaced families.
Those who reached safety say they fled in fear as armed groups stormed their villages – often at night – burning homes, attacking civilians and forcing their families to flee without their belongings or documents.
“Civilians were killed, some were even beheaded,” Mr Creach said. “People had to flee at night in the most chaotic way. »
The sudden influx of displaced people into Nampula province is putting pressure on already fragile host communities, which also face insecurity. Schools, churches and open spaces are filled with newly arrived families.
Short on resources
This is the fourth massive influx that northern Mozambique has faced in recent months, Mr. Creach said.
“The response is insufficient,” he said. “People need help. They need food, shelter, water, support and they arrive traumatized.»
UNHCR $38.2 million will be needed in 2026 to meet growing needs in northern Mozambique. This comes at a deeply worrying time, when funding for 2025 stands at only 50 percent of the required amount.
Mr. Creach said that on Tuesday morning, agency staff saw people returning to very dangerous areas – not to restart their lives, but due to lack of response and overcrowded shelters.
“They felt they could no longer stay and had no choice but to return..”
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
