More than 1.5 million people in three northern provinces of Mozambique were in crisis or emergency food insecurity in June, the Food Security Group said on Monday, admitting it lacked the resources.
According to the first semester report published by the group, created in 2011 and led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), the situation is observed in the provinces of Niassa, Nampula and Cabo Delgado, the latter with 879 thousand people, in particular due to the terrorist conflict.
“FSC Partners [na sigla em inglês, Food Security Cluster] Call on donors to support the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan [PNRH] 2024, with a target of $172 million. [159,2 milhões de euros] to meet the needs of approximately one million people, including those affected by the conflict,” the Food Security Group said in a report based on the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis in northern Mozambique.
The document added that “humanitarian assistance in Cabo Delgado is seriously hampered by a lack of resources.”
“By June 2024, FSC’s PNRH was only 34% funded, in stark contrast to last year. This funding gap has forced FSC partners to make difficult decisions, such as reducing food rations to reach more beneficiaries or scaling up services between displaced persons, host communities and returnees, thereby compromising the quality of assistance,” he noted.
He also acknowledged that “despite periodic access challenges due to road closures and insecurity,” partners on the ground “are prioritizing maintaining a presence on the ground and providing essential services and supplies.”
“The situation is grave, with more than half a million people displaced and 623,000 returned home in northern Mozambique. Widespread destruction and damage to infrastructure, including recently rebuilt facilities, has disrupted services in conflict-affected areas and reversed development gains,” he said.
“The vulnerability of internally displaced persons and returnees, who remain dependent on humanitarian assistance for their survival, is significant. Returns often occur in remote areas where traditional protection networks have not yet been restored,” the report also acknowledges.
In recent months, “the security situation in Cabo Delgado has deteriorated markedly,” the document notes, adding that between December 26, 2023 and the end of May 2024, attacks by armed groups “led to the displacement of approximately 189,000 people,” representing “the largest displacement since 2017.”
“The violence spread to several districts, including Ancuabe, Chiure, Macomia, Mekufi, Metuge, Mocimboa da Praia, Muidumbe and Kisanga, with impacts in Erati and Memba districts in Nampula province. These attacks spread to previously unaffected areas, resulting in a wider geographical distribution of operations,” the food safety group acknowledged.
He also added that the attack in the Macomia region in May “led to the suspension of aid to 89,000 people, further exacerbating the crisis.”
The Food Security Group coordinates food security responses during and after humanitarian crises, addressing food availability, access, utilization and stability, with a network of over 1,000 partners in 29 countries.
Since October 2017, Cabo Delgado has been the scene of an armed uprising, with attacks blamed on movements linked to the extremist group Islamic State.
The last major attack took place on 10 and 11 May on the Macomia district headquarters, when about a hundred rebels looted the town, resulting in several deaths and heavy fighting with the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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