Maputo: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed concern over the increasing number of civilians forced to flee violence in northern Mozambique, highlighting the challenges many face in returning home.
According to Qatar News Agency, UNHCR disclosed that approximately 22,000 people fled the Cabo Delgado province during a single week in late September. The violence surged as militants launched attacks on the strategic coastal city of Mocimboa da Praia, resulting in clashes with the army.
UNHCR's representative in Mozambique, Xavier Cr ©ach, reported that civilians remain targets amid ongoing reports of killings. He emphasized that the violence had sharply escalated in 2025, with over 500 security incidents affecting civilians recorded by the end of August, including village raids, abductions, civilian killings, and the destruction of homes and infrastructure.
More than 100,000 people have been displaced this year, with 89% of them having been displaced previously, as noted by the UNHCR representative. The ongoing conflict has led twenty-two humanitarian organizations to suspend their operations in Cabo Delgado, complicating the response to the crisis.
Since the conflict's inception in 2017, over 1.3 million people have been displaced in Mozambique.