The lack of distribution of basic food baskets to displaced people in several shelter camps in Cabo Delgado province is causing "humanitarian chaos," with several displaced people suffering fainting from hungerseveral witnesses told VOA on Wednesday.
For two months now, humanitarian support, which was already occurring with some irregularity, has not reached the displaced people camps, especially in Metuge, the district next to the capital Pemba and which hosts the largest number of displaced people from the attacks of Islamic radicals, locally known as al-shaabab.
"The food has run out. We have two months here without receiving (food support)," lamented Vânio Salimo, a displaced person in Metuge, describing widespread concern for a population "that hasn't known what a meal is for several days.
"There's even a person about to die," in the neighboring house, he added.
The authorities and humanitarian organizations, our source continued, have yet to clarify the delay in food distribution, despite successive visits by humanitarian organizations, supposedly to survey the population in shelter camps again.
"Yesterday (Tuesday, 2) three cars came, they came to register again, now we don't know what the intention is," Ismael Abubakar, another displaced person in Nangade, told VOA, adding that the displaced sometimes "receive plates of food" from local residents.
Another IDP in the capital Pemba, who similarly described the desperation of many "who are going very hungry," assured that on Wednesday, 3, the World Food Program (WFP) would resume the distribution of food baskets to local IDPs.
"There is hunger yes, a lot of hunger, but it looks like WFP will start (distributing) today," he said in a tone of relief, insisting that "hunger will continue to exist because people still don't have their own machambas" for self-sustaining agricultural production.
Fainting in Metuge
Several local sources told VOA that in recent weeks there have been several reported cases of people fainting due to hunger, especially the elderly and children, the age group with the highest rate of malnutrition among the displaced.
"People are fainting because of hunger," said one of our sources, adding that people have resorted to porridge made from green mangoes, but the resource is scarce these days.
The governor of Cabo Delgado, Valige Tauabo, in a recent interview, acknowledged the difficulties in providing enough food baskets for the displaced in Cabo Delgado, and called, on the occasion, for a vein of solidarity from the local population and the rest of the country and the world.
Cabo Delgado province has been the target of armed violence by jihadists since October 2017, which has driven more than 800,000 people from their homes, according to the United Nations, and killed more than 3,100 people, according to conflict data collector ACLED.