More than 107,000 people have fled their homes in northern Mozambique over the past two weeks amid escalating violence.
Insurgent attacks have surged this year, spreading from gas-rich Cabo Delgado into previously safe provinces of Nampula and Niassa.
Since 2017, the unrest has displaced over 1.3 million people, leaving communities fractured and infrastructure in ruins, the United Nations reported.
“Villages are burned and destroyed, forcing people to flee both their homes and surrounding areas in fear of attacks,” said Paola Emerson.
Emerson, head of the U.N. humanitarian office in Mozambique, spoke from Maputo via video link to Geneva reporters on Friday.
The latest displacement wave in Nampula is unusual, with non-state armed groups conducting sustained attacks lasting several weeks, she added.
UNICEF reported renewed violence in Palma District, Cabo Delgado, for the first time since 2021, including civilian killings and targeted assaults on security forces.
Over the last four months, approximately 330,000 people have been displaced, highlighting a relentless expansion of the conflict into new areas.
Aid agencies warn that food supplies and health kits are running dangerously low, leaving vulnerable populations with insufficient assistance.
Only 40% of displaced residents have received food for the next two weeks, a provision deemed woefully inadequate by U.N. officials.
Continuing security threats and scarce aid are sometimes forcing families to return home prematurely, despite risks in areas they previously fled.
Humanitarian actors stress urgent intervention is needed to prevent a deepening crisis as northern Mozambique faces escalating violence and growing deprivation.
