“The situation in Cabo Delgado is a protection crisis for more than half a million civilians on the run, with widespread reports of human rights abuses and disregard for international humanitarian law”, UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said.
Access to some areas in the province remains limited due to violence, insecurity, and the rainy season, with communities being cut off from basic services for months, he added.
More than 2,000 people have been killed since the conflict started in 2017. In the violence houses have been looted and burned, families separated and health centers and schools seriously damaged.
The affected provinces were already suffering high levels of hunger and malnutrition. However, the situation has deteriorated rapidly, with over 900,000 people now facing a crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity.
“There is a serious indication that this crisis could spread beyond the country’s borders”, warned Mr. Baloch.
People have been forced to flee their homes with few possessions, in most cases without their identification and civil documents, further increasing their vulnerability, Mr. Baloch added.
The situation of women of girls is particularly concerning.
“Some women and girls have been abducted, forced into marriages, in some cases raped, or subjected to other forms of sexual violence. The displaced population remains significantly vulnerable to gender-based violence,” he said.
UNHCR protection teams for instance are monitoring the situation in Cabo Delgado and other provinces to identify needs and respond to gender-based violence and protection concerns. The agency has also provided shelter materials, tarpaulins, sleeping mats, blankets, kitchen sets, buckets, jerry cans, and solar lamps.
Myrta Kaulard, the humanitarian coordinator for Mozambique, said that with needs rapidly rising, humanitarian actors urgently require more funding to scale-up their response across the northern provinces of the country.
“We count on the support of the international community to provide timely funding to ensure that people fleeing violence can access much-needed relief”, she added.