Africa-Press – Mozambique. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that around 5,600 children were displaced in September due to attacks and the terrorist threat in Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique.
According to the humanitarian situation report for September, released on Wednesday by the organisation, “security situation in Cabo Delgado remains fluid as factions reposition themselves following the announced death of senior leaders within non-state armed groups in August”. Since September, there have been smaller-scale attacks on the public in various districts of Cabo Delgado and on the military.
Incidents which, according to the report, “have resulted in the displacement or movement of fleeing groups of people”.
. In September, 10,463 people of whom 54.4 percent are children, were on the move mainly due to attacks (26%), fear of attacks (21%) or the return to areas of origin (27%). Mocimboa da Praia, Macomia, Muidumbe districts were the major areas of both departures and arrivals. Over 50 percent of the movements were forced, and the major reported needs were food and shelter,” adds UNICEF.
According to data from the United Nations agencies on the ground, the terrorist attacks in northern Mozambique have led to the flight of 338,086 children in need of humanitarian aid.
Mozambique’s defence minister, Cristóvão Chume, said in October that 70% of the population displaced by the terrorist attacks had returned to Cabo Delgado, as a result of the restoration of security in the region.
The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for six years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State. This insurgency has led to a military response since July 2021 with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near gas exploration projects.
The conflict has already displaced one million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and caused around 4,000 deaths, according to the conflict registration project, ACLED.
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