Humanitarian agencies that are helping people affected by armed attacks in the north of the country have received about half of the amount they requested to meet the needs, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced Wednesday..
"Of the $254 million requested, only 55% has been received, creating a gap of $114 million," reads a statement regarding World Food Day, celebrated on Saturday.
The situation has forced other agencies, such as the World Food Program (WFP) to cut back on the food aid distributed in order to have stockpiles for longer.
"Food insecurity continues to plague people around the world, including millions in Mozambique alone," in a situation exacerbated by "conflicts, economic and climate shocks, limited capacity in developing countries, and the covid-19 pandemic."
For UNHCR, "urgent action is needed to ensure that the basic food and nutrition needs of people forced to flee are met."
Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas, but terrorized since 2017 by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.
Since July, an offensive by government troops with Rwandan support, later joined by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), allowed for an increase in security, recovering several areas where rebels were present, including the town of Mocímboa da Praia, which had been occupied since August 2020.
In addition to the displaced people caused by the situation in the north, Mozambique has 28,597 refugees and asylum seekers, with 9,500 in the Maratane settlement in Nampula.
The Mozambican government has provided "fundamental support," says UNHCR.
In addition to other aid, the authorities have made a total of 2,000 hectares available in 2019 "for the practice of subsistence [farming and livestock] activities in Maratane," said Samuel Chakwera, UNHCR's representative in Mozambique.
UNHCR considers that inserting IDPs "into agriculture and livestock activities is one of the most sustainable ways to make them achieve self-sufficiency."
Lusa Agency