Mozambique is among the African countries most affected by internal displacement caused by conflicts and natural disasters, according to data released by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), cited on Tuesday, May 13, by the Agência de Informação de Moçambique.
The number of internally displaced people in the country exceeded 718,000 in 2024, according to the 2024 Global Report on Internal Displacement, published by the IDMC, a non-governmental organization operating under the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The document highlights that armed conflicts and violence in the Cabo Delgado province continue to be one of the main drivers of displacement, with around 240,000 people forced to leave their homes over the past year. Additionally, the country also faced severe natural disasters, which displaced approximately 585,000 people, with 536,000 of them being affected by the devastating impact of Tropical Cyclone “Chido.”
In the context of Sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique is part of a group of countries where, in 2024 alone, more than 38 million people were forced to leave their homes in search of safety within other areas of their respective national territories. The region was responsible for 47% of the global total of displaced people due to conflicts and natural disasters.
Armed conflicts and violence in Cabo Delgado province continue to be one of the main factors of displacement, with around 240,000 people forced to abandon their homes over the past year.
Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo lead this alarming statistic, with 11.6 million and 6.2 million internally displaced people, respectively. “Internal displacement rarely makes headlines, but for those experiencing it, the suffering can last for years,” warned Jan Egeland, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, quoted in the report. He further emphasized the urgent need for a more coordinated and supportive response from the international community.
Another concerning trend is the growth of countries where displacements are caused simultaneously by armed conflicts and extreme climatic events. Since 2009, the number of these countries has tripled, and by the end of 2024, in ten countries, there were over three million internally displaced people, double the number recorded four years ago.
IDMC Director Alexandra Bilak emphasized that more than three-quarters of the internally displaced people due to conflicts and violence now live in countries with high or very high vulnerability to climate change. “The data is clear,” said Bilak, adding, “Now is the time to use it to prevent displacement, support recovery, and build resilience. Immediate efforts are needed to help those who have lost everything and investments to address the underlying vulnerabilities to prevent them.”
The report serves as a call for urgent and coordinated action in a global scenario where internal displacement is becoming an ongoing, silent crisis, increasingly exacerbated by political instability and climate change.
