UN estimates that another 1,200 people have fled Macomia

The United Nations estimates that more than 1,200 people have fled Macomia in the last week due to new terrorist incursions in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, which has been ravaged by an armed insurgency since 2017.

According to a note from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), consulted by Lusa, many of the more than 1,200 people forced to flee in the last week alone had already been displaced previously .

"Currently, many families are sheltering in classrooms, with limited access to basic services. Most report having lost their civil documentation," the UN agency describes, adding that the most urgent needs include shelter, food, and protection.

“UNHCR is in Macomia, monitoring protection risks, supporting people with disabilities and strengthening protection coordination on the ground.

The gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado, located in northern Mozambique, has been facing an armed rebellion since 2017, resulting in thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis, with more than a million people displaced.

New extremist movements in northern Mozambique include Niassa, a neighboring province of Cabo Delgado, where, since their outbreak on April 29, they have caused the death of at least two forest rangers who were beheaded.

In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks by Islamic extremist groups in the province, a 36% increase over the previous year, according to data recently released by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, an academic institution of the US Department of Defense that analyzes conflicts in Africa.