Tens of Thousands Flee Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado as Violence Escalates

Nearly 60,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in northern Mozambique over the past two weeks as a wave of armed attacks hits Cabo Delgado province again, the UN confirmed on Tuesday.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), over 57,000 people, including more than 7,000 kids, have been displaced since July 20, with the majority escaping from Chiúre district, the area hardest hit.

UN officials say the spike in violence is part of the long-running insurgency in the region led by fighters linked to ISIL (ISIS). The local group, known as “al-Shabab” (not connected to the Somali group with the same name), has been launching attacks in Cabo Delgado for more than eight years.

So far, around 30,000 of those newly displaced have received basic aid — food, water, and shelter — but that’s only half the people in need. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says more support is on the way, but warned that resources are already stretched.

The UN’s humanitarian plan for Mozambique this year is only 19% funded — a major concern as needs grow and international aid budgets shrink, particularly from big donors like the US.

On top of that, many people are dealing with protection risks: a lack of ID documents, forced relocations, and general insecurity that makes accessing help even harder.

Cabo Delgado is also home to massive offshore gas reserves. French company Total Energies suspended work on its $20 billion project in 2021 when violence escalated, but it’s hoping to restart operations this summer.

In the meantime, the human toll continues to rise.

More than 6,100 people have been killed since the conflict began, according to ACLED (a global conflict-tracking project), including 364 last year alone. Rwanda has deployed troops to support Mozambique’s forces, but attacks have continued in waves.

Last month, Human Rights Watch raised alarms about the growing number of children being abducted by the armed group — some forced into combat, others into labor or early marriage. The organization said using children under 15 in hostilities amounts to a war crime.