The President of the Republic said today that the armed conflict in Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country, is forcing the government to use funds from other areas to deal with the adversities in that province.

According to Filipe Nyusi, "terrorism forces us to divert large sums of money to respond to these adversities that couldn't wait for the next cycles of government".

Cited by Lusa, the Mozambican head of state also said that the fight against war cannot wait, noting that the money has been used to buy food, water, uniforms and ammunition for the military in Cabo Delgado, as well as for their travel.

"These resources that could serve us [in other sectors] are being diverted because our children who are fighting terrorism have to eat," stressed Filipe Nyusi, who was speaking during the inauguration of a water system in Inhambane, in the south of the country, as part of a working visit he has been making to that province since Thursday.

The province of Cabo Delgado has been facing an armed insurgency for five years, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

The conflict has already displaced a million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and killed around 4,000, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.