Southern Africa has seen 6 million people displaced from their areas of residence due to natural disasters, conflicts and violence in the last 15 years, with Mozambique registering the highest number of cases.
The data is contained in a report by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), part of the Norwegian Refugee Council, which was released on Tuesday in Geneva.
“The majority was recorded in Mozambique, which is affected by all of these factors,” the IDMC points out, emphasising, however, that in this Portuguese-speaking country “more data is produced than in other countries”.
“It is difficult to draw a clear picture of internal displacement trends at sub-regional level, which emphasises the need to improve and maintain monitoring efforts,” it says.
Mozambique is the country highlighted in Southern Africa, a region that accounts for more than half (59 %) of all displacement caused by natural disasters considered by the IDMC on the African continent.
With regard to conflicts and violence, the situation in Cabo Delgado, a province in northern Mozambique, has triggered the most displacements, 592,000 by the end of 2023, as a result of terrorist actions carried out since 2017 by the Islamic fundamentalist movement Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jama (ASWJ).
Another Portuguese-speaking country highlighted in the report is Angola, with the organisation emphasising that the figures for this country “should be considered significant underestimates” because the main urban areas, including the capital, Luanda, are exposed to a high risk of flooding.
“Reports show that entire areas of the city are flooded during the rainy season, but it is difficult to obtain complete data on displacement,” it says.
The most recent figures for Angola point to 79,000 displaced by natural disasters in 2023, including 36,000 due to flooding in the coastal province of Kwanza Sul in mid-December.
At the beginning of November, heavy rains and floods caused a further 6,800 displaced people in Malanje province.
By the end of 2023, the report estimates the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Africa at 35 million, a figure that represents half of the world total and three times more than in 2009.
Just five countries – Ethiopia, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Sudan – account for 80% of the people displaced by conflict and violence in Africa.
“Climate change is making climate-related risks more frequent and more intense, and is amplifying other factors that make communities more vulnerable to disaster displacement, increasing the risk of future displacement,” warns the IDMC.
The NGO warns that if African governments and their international partners do not redouble their efforts, “the number of people forced to leave their homes is likely to continue to rise”.
“By drawing attention to the scale, causes and impacts of internal displacement in Africa, and by demonstrating that progress is possible, this report aims to generate renewed interest and greater investment in tackling this critical issue,” it emphasises.
The NGO also emphasises that conflicts, violence and disasters often overlap or recur, “causing complex displacement crises”.
“These situations come on top of low levels of socio-economic development, food insecurity and other challenges, placing IDPs in a cycle of vulnerability and risk of displacement,” it adds.
Lusa
