UN: 300,000 People Displaced in Northern Mozambique Amid Intensifying Violence

The United Nations has raised alarm over the escalating humanitarian crisis in northern Mozambique, reporting that roughly 300,000 people have been displaced in recent months as jihadist violence surges across the region.

The long-running insurgency in Cabo Delgado province has already claimed more than 6,200 lives, according to the conflict-tracking organisation ACLED.

The violence has increasingly spilled into neighbouring Nampula province, worsening the already fragile security situation.

In a briefing on Tuesday, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said nearly 100,000 people had fled the region in the past two weeks alone. Over the past three months, at least 287,000 people have been forced from their homes—though officials noted the true figure is likely far higher.

“I would say this figure reflects only those who have been registered,” UNHCR representative Xavier Creach told reporters in Geneva. “Many more cases have gone unrecorded. We can speak of a minimum of 300,000 displaced since July.”

Creach warned that aid operations are becoming increasingly difficult as militants intensify attacks on villages and push into previously safe districts. The rapid movement of civilians and the expanding conflict zone have severely hampered the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

He described the needs on the ground as “very challenging,” adding that the humanitarian response remains “largely insufficient.”

In a statement, UNHCR called for urgent international support, stressing that aid organisations “cannot sustain the response without additional resources.”

Since the insurgency first erupted in 2017, more than 1.3 million people have been displaced across Mozambique, according to UNHCR.