Northern Mozambique has plunged into a humanitarian crisis as increasing numbers of people have lost their homes amid the escalating conflict.
The fighting in the northern province of Cabo Delgado displaced more than 500,000 people last year and on Wednesday UN agencies said they were deeply concerned about the current situation and called on the international community to do more to help.
A cholera outbreak was also recorded in the region with the arrival of the rainy season.
“The situation in Cabo Delgado is dire, it is a humanitarian crisis, the international community cannot allow the situation to continue,” said Valentin Tapsoba, director of UNHCR in Southern Africa.
He said that 90% of the displaced were welcomed or accommodated by friendly locals, but lived in tight conditions, with several families often sharing small spaces, sleeping on the floor and sharing a single bathroom.
The Isis militant group, Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jamaa, increased its insurgency in Cabo Delgado last year, taking the port city of Mocímboa da Praia in August, and an increasing number of people fled both the militants and government forces. , according to activists.
Already unable to reach people trapped in areas controlled by militants, especially in some parts of the coast, UN representatives said that a visit to Cabo Delgado in December highlighted how much support people need.
“The number of [those] internally displaced persons have also increased because people know that the rains are coming and know that they will be stopped, ”said UN resident coordinator in Mozambique, Myrta Kaulard. “The needs are very important, we are extremely concerned about the lack of resources that we have. We have launched an appeal, but our ability to help is extremely limited. “
The UN asked for $ 254 million (£ 185 million) in December, which would help 1.1 million people, including host communities.
The World Food Program warned earlier this month that its resources were limited and that it could be forced to reduce aid, potentially increasing tensions, unless more support was given.
Kaulard also warned that the rains could worsen the cholera outbreak in Cabo Delgado, which authorities are struggling to contain.
UN officials said the IDPs requested long-term support for their livelihoods, education and, especially, the health sector, which has already been stretched by Covid-19 and Cyclone Kenneth in 2019.
They said that plans are being made to relocate the displaced to places with better shelters and that they have asked the government to provide land that would allow them to return to agriculture.
“The populations want to return to their activities. We discussed with the local authorities the possibility of obtaining free land. They may not be there for a few weeks or a few months, they may be there for a few years, ”said Patrice Talla, regional director of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.