With nearly 600,000 people affected by armed violence and natural disasters, Mozambique has entered, for the first time, the list of the ten most neglected displacement crises, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
“In 2024, Mozambique faced a perfect storm of armed conflict, political turmoil, and climate disasters. These overlapping shocks created a volatile and deeply complex humanitarian emergency, making the country one of the territories facing one of the world’s most neglected displacement crises,” says the organization in a report cited by Lusa.
According to the NRC, armed violence in Cabo Delgado province, in the north of the country, continued to displace communities, while tensions intensified—particularly following the general elections on October 9. Just a few weeks later, Tropical Cyclone Chido struck, causing “damage to already fragile infrastructure and further worsening the population’s situation.” “By the end of the year, nearly 600,000 people had been displaced by a combination of violence and disaster. Food access was a major concern, with 2.8 million people facing acute food insecurity between April and September,” the report notes.
The document describes how the humanitarian response in Mozambique struggled to mobilize support, with drastically insufficient funding. “The 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan received only 41% funding, the lowest level ever recorded. Food assistance was especially impacted, covering just 13% of the needs in Cabo Delgado.” It also highlights that the funding secured so far has been “extremely limited,” indicating a worrying trend. “The crisis in Mozambique has unfolded largely outside the global spotlight. Limited media coverage, made worse by competing global crises, has diverted attention and resources. As the world looks elsewhere, Mozambique’s multifaceted crisis is becoming increasingly invisible and dangerous,” it warns.
The Norwegian Refugee Council publishes an annual report on the ten most neglected displacement crises worldwide, aiming to highlight the suffering of people whose situation rarely makes international headlines.
The 2024 list is topped by the triple displacement crisis in Cameroon, driven by long-standing armed conflict, with 3.4 million people in urgent need of support and protection, followed by Ethiopia with 2.3 million displaced people, and then Mozambique.
The report stresses that the number of displaced people worldwide has doubled over the past decade, while humanitarian funding has only met half of the growing needs.
“Shifting domestic priorities, economic uncertainty, and political fatigue have led to severe cuts in support for people affected by crisis and displacement. The world is in transition, but we must not accept this neglect as inevitable,” the report urges.
Also included in the list are displacement crises in Burkina Faso (4th place), followed by Mali, Uganda, Iran, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Honduras, and Somalia.
Source: Diário Económico
