Unicef has increased the value of the humanitarian appeal for Mozambique from $52 million to $96.5 million and victims of armed violence are among the priorities.
“More support from the international community will be required to adequately respond to the needs of the affected population in the northern provinces and to continue supporting people affected by natural disasters that occurred in central Mozambique,” said Maria Luisa Fornara, representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), quoted in a statement from the entity.
According to Unicef, of the total amount, US$55.7 million will be channelled to those displaced due to armed violence in Cabo Delgado, 46 percent of whom are children.
“Many children have suffered deep trauma. If left untreated, they could become a factor in a long and protracted crisis that could quickly spread to other areas,” Unicef said in the document.
For the UN agency, the humanitarian situation in Mozambique has “deteriorated significantly” since the start of the year, due to ongoing attacks in Cabo Delgado, outbreaks of communicable diseases and the impact of Cyclone Eloise.
According to Unicef, more than 300,000 school children are displaced and depend on emergency schooling and an estimated 33,000 are suffering from life-threatening malnutrition.
Armed groups have terrorised Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province since 2017, with some attacks claimed by the ‘jihadist’ group Islamic State, in a wave of violence that has led to more than 2 800 deaths, according to the conflict registration project ACLED, and 732 000 displaced people according to the UN.
According to the UN, more than 900 000 people are severely food insecure in Cabo Delgado and host communities are also in urgent need of shelter, protection and other services.
