Mozambique: Surge in violence in Cabo Delgado causes increase in displacement 

After more than eight years of conflict, Mozambique is facing a new wave of violence in Cabo Delgado province, resulting in the deaths of many civilians and the displacement of more than 90,000 people between September and October 2025, more than half of whom are children. Two nighttime attacks carried out by a small group of armed men, targeting a neighborhood in Mocimboa da Praia within days of each other, forced more than 23,000 people to flee to the district of Mueda, which was already hosting a large number of displaced people, many of whom had been there for several years. 

“People are scared and are even leaving in anticipation of further attacks, due to the extreme violence perpetrated against civilians. Families, including elderly people, pregnant women, and children, are walking for several days to reach a safe place, more or less close to their homes, so that they can return more easily once the situation stabilizes, or to keep an eye on their belongings and homes,” explains Capucine Peignier, deputy area coordinator for Action Against Hunger in Mozambique. 

“We are witnessing an unpredictable and relatively unprecedented situation. Previously, certain areas, particularly coastal areas, were particularly targeted by these attacks, whereas today they are taking place everywhere and simultaneously throughout the province. This volatile context complicates coordination and humanitarian response, which remains insufficient due to the low presence of humanitarian actors in certain areas, as well as declining funding.” 

To address this situation, which combines chronic needs, vulnerability to climate change, and occasional shocks leading to mass population displacement, Action Against Hunger focuses its interventions on both community resilience and development, as well as emergency response and support for basic services in hard-to-reach communities. 

In the area of health and nutrition, Action Against Hunger is deploying a mobile clinic and providing support to government mobile teams that travel to the most affected communities that are far from the healthcare system in the districts of Macomia, Meluco, and Quissanga. There are also plans to extend this program to other districts and strengthen emergency deployments.  

“We are also working at two new displacement sites in Songueia and Muagamula in the Macomia district, providing water, hygiene, and sanitation services. Living conditions at these sites are very precarious, with few or no water sources. Our response consists of building new wells and sustainable latrines because, even though these sites are intended to be temporary, people are staying there for several months or even years.” 

Finally, through the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), Action Against Hunger responds to urgent needs by distributing kits or vouchers that enable displaced families to access food and non-food items to meet their basic needs. At the end of October, the RRM was assisting more than 1,000 families recently displaced in the district of Montepuez following violent attacks, working closely with other humanitarian actors providing complementary services such as psychological support and child protection. 

Today, 1.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the country. Against a backdrop of widespread declines in aid, only 14% of the humanitarian response plan is funded.  

“At the end of the year, many projects come to an end and funding runs out. The instability of the situation, combined with the vagaries of climate change and the approaching cyclone season, make us concerned about how the situation will develop and the future of the population.”  

“Development and emergency needs are closely intertwined. It is important to maintain both aspects and to be able to adapt our response to an emergency while continuing our longer-term recovery efforts. This flexibility cannot be achieved without financial support from the international community, which must not turn its back on this crisis that has fallen off the radar,” warns C. Peignier.