The government of Cabo Delgado province, in northern Mozambique, has revealed that 87 schools remain closed due to recent attacks by extremist groups in the Chiúre district. Preliminary data indicates that more than 48,000 students and 490 teachers have been affected.
According to Rachid Suále, Head of the Pedagogical Department at the Provincial Directorate of Education in Cabo Delgado, the authorities are currently mapping the exact number of children who missed their quarterly assessments.
“At this moment, we are also tracking children who are unable to take the assessments due to their location. Once the work is completed, we plan to submit them to specific exams so they don’t lose the academic year,” he emphasized.
This week, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that more than 57,000 people have been displaced since July 20, following an escalation of extremist attacks in several districts of the province.
“The surge in attacks and the growing fear of violence by non-state armed groups in the districts of Muidumbe, Ancuabe, and Chiúre have led to the displacement of 57,034 individuals, comprising a total of 13,343 families,” the organization stated in a report covering data from July 20 to August 3.
According to the document, disclosed by Lusa, the figures include 490 pregnant women, 1,077 elderly people, 191 individuals with mobility challenges, and 126 children. Many of the displaced people “walk more than 50 kilometers through the bush, day and night, mainly heading toward the Chiúre district headquarters, in the south of Cabo Delgado province.”
Since October 2017, Cabo Delgado—a province rich in natural resources, particularly natural gas—has been the scene of an armed insurgency that has caused thousands of deaths and triggered a humanitarian crisis with over one million internally displaced people.
In April, the attacks spread to the neighboring province of Niassa. One of the most serious incidents occurred in the Niassa Reserve and the Mariri Environmental Center, in the district of Mecula, where non-state armed groups attacked facilities, stole goods, and destroyed camps and a park aircraft. These actions resulted in the deaths of at least two people and displaced over 2,000 individuals, 55% of whom were children.
Source: Diário Económico
