Fresh violence forces more than 7,000 people to flee their homes in northern Mozambique

Displaced persons living at the Ngunga Resettlement Centre in Cabo Delgado Province. The center is among those hosting families displaced by the conflict in Northern Mozambique. — Displaced persons living at the Ngunga Resettlement Centre in Cabo Delgado Province, northern Mozambique. Image: IOM/2025 Amanda Nero

Women and children comprise nearly 80 per cent of those displaced, with some being forced to flee more than once

More than 7,000 people have fled their homes in northern Mozambique in just over five weeks, escaping violence and fear of attacks by non-state armed groups, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has revealed.

Women and children make up nearly 80 per cent of those who have recently fled. In the latest two-week period, 584 children and 386 women were displaced – including 87 pregnant women, 58 older people, 18 people with disabilities and four unaccompanied or separated children. Throughout this period, many male household members have stayed behind and at risk in order to maintain livelihoods.

As of last month, northern Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique hosted more than 205,000 displaced people across 84 sites, more than half of whom are children.

Eighty-eight per cent of those assessed by the IOM reported food as the most urgent need, followed by shelter (71 per cent) and healthcare (44 per cent). Families also reported the need for protection.

Most newly displaced families are staying with host communities, stretching households and already-struggling local services.

IOM is supporting displaced families and host communities in Cabo Delgado by providing emergency shelter, household items, water and sanitation, and mental health and psychosocial support.

Armed conflict began back in 2017 in northern Mozambique, as it has battled an ISIL-affiliated armed group known locally as al-Shabab, which first emerged in the early 2010s.

Since 2017, the conflict and its displacements, combined with the impacts of previous disasters in Mozambique, have profoundly affected land use in urban settlements. In turn, this has left local authorities unprepared, limiting communities’ access to basic services and driving unsustainable use of natural resources.

According to the UN, over the course of the conflict, more than 1.3 million people have fled their homes. In late 2025 alone, 100,000 people were displaced.