Africa-Press – Mauritius. The UN says that almost 5.2 million people in Mozambique are in need of assistance due to a “triple crisis” comprising “armed conflict and displacement, recurring extreme weather events, and months of post-electoral unrest”.
The coordinator and deputy director for West and Central Africa of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stressed that the situation is particularly dire in Cabo Delgado province.
Xavier Creach said that the activity of non-state armed groups has increased displacement and the destruction of infrastructure, also hampering recovery efforts.
More than 25,000 Mozambicans in the north of the country have been forced to flee their homes in recent weeks due to the escalation of the conflict, Creach said.
“Thousands have lost their homes, many for the second or third time, and are seeking safety in already overstretched communities,” Creach told a press briefing in Geneva on Friday.
The risks facing displaced people, particularly women and children, are severe. Protection concerns, including gender-based violence, family separation and limited access to documentation, are rising sharply, he said.
The humanitarian crisis in Cabo Delgado has already left 1.3 million people displaced and could worsen due to a serious funding gap for vital aid operations, the UNHCR chief warned.
The agency’s response capacity has been limited by insufficient funding, which barely covers a third of the US$42.7 million (€37.5 million) required for this year.
The UNHCR coordinator warned of the risk of some “vital programmes” being abandoned if “urgent support” is not mobilised for Mozambique.
“A perfect storm is gathering. If we turn away now, the country will face a much larger humanitarian emergency. The crisis is unfolding now. We have a choice. We can act to prevent, support and protect – or we can sit on our hands.” Creach said.
The UNHCR warning came a day after the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimated that more than 3.4 million Mozambican children require urgent support and called for a scaled-up humanitarian response to the growing needs in the country.
“Mozambique is facing multiple challenges that have further aggravated the humanitarian crisis in the country. More than 3.4 million children are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance,” read a statement from the UN agency.
According to UNICEF, armed conflict in Cabo Delgado province and extreme weather events “have left the country very vulnerable”, causing “outbreaks of infectious diseases and the destruction of schools and health facilities”.
Unicef Portugal has also launched “an urgent appeal for donations to support emergency operations in Mozambique and guarantee a future for these children and their families”.
Source: UNICEF
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