The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed concern about the worsening crisis in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, where nearly 100,000 people have been displaced within during the past month due to escalating armed violence.
ICRC country head Catherine Gendre said the crisis has particularly affected Cabo Delgado’s Chiure district where around 46,000 people fled their homes into Nampula province in February alone in search of safety.
Many families have been separated and unaccompanied children find themselves highly vulnerable, she said.
“It is heart-breaking to see so many women and children traumatised and exhausted,” Gendre, said.
The ICRC, in collaboration with the Mozambique Red Cross (CVM), is facilitating phone calls, reconnecting families, and registering unaccompanied minors.
The new wave of displacements comes amid a protracted cholera outbreak, exacerbating the risk of infectious diseases for both displaced families and host communities.
The displaced families and host communities are often forced to share crowded accommodations with poor sanitation facilities.
Despite the efforts by several humanitarian organisations, there remains a desperate shortage of hygiene items, water purification products, mosquito nets and blankets.
Gendre called on all armed actors to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and spare civilians from harm.
The resource-rich Cabo Delgado province has witnessed a surge in terrorism acts since December 2023 as Islamic State-linked insurgents scale up attacks in the regime.
JN/APA