The Mozambican government has launched a large-scale repatriation operation to bring back more than 7,000 nationals who had fled to Malawi due to violent unrest.
Officials told the state-run Radio Mozambique on Monday that the refugees – primarily from the districts of Morrumbala in Zambézia and Mutarara and Dôa in Tete – had sought shelter in Nsanje and Chikwawa in southern Malawi following a wave of violent protests that led to widespread destruction of public and private property late last year.
Mozambique’s National Institute of Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (INGD), in collaboration with Malawian authorities and refugee organisations, is overseeing the repatriation effort.
César Tembe, the director of INGD’s Prevention and Mitigation Division, assured that support measures are in place to help the returnees reintegrate.
“Families without habitable homes will be given temporary shelter in tents while longer-term solutions are arranged,” Tembe said.
He said INGD has also provided essential supplies such as blankets and mosquito nets to assist them as they resettle.
However, many returnees expressed concerns about security in their home regions.
They urged the government to strengthen security measures to prevent further displacement and called for dialogue between conflicting parties to end the cycle of violence.
The evacuation was initially scheduled to begin last Thursday but was delayed until Saturday due to rising water levels in the Chire River, which made navigation unsafe.
JN/APA