Renewed violence in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province has displaced more than 7,000 people since late September, worsening a protracted humanitarian crisis in the region, which has been battling an Islamist insurgency for nearly a decade.
According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 7,029 people fled their homes between September 21 and October 27 amid fresh attacks and fears of violence by non-state armed groups. Women and children accounted for nearly 80 per cent of the newly displaced population.
IOM Chief of Mission in Mozambique, Dana Graber Ladek, said on Thursday that the latest displacement was putting additional pressure on communities already hosting people uprooted by years of conflict.
“These communities need help with food, shelter and healthcare. Without timely support, life could get much harder for displaced families and the people hosting them,” she said.
The agency disclosed that some families had been forced to flee multiple times, further worsening their vulnerability and exposing them to prolonged hardship.
Among those affected were pregnant women, older persons, persons with disabilities and unaccompanied children, highlighting the growing humanitarian concerns surrounding the renewed violence.
As of October 2026, more than 205,000 internally displaced persons were living across 84 displacement sites in Cabo Delgado, with children accounting for more than half of the affected population.
Cabo Delgado has remained the epicentre of an insurgency since 2017, when militants linked to the Islamic State began attacking villages, security forces and critical infrastructure.
The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands, prompting military interventions by Mozambique, Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
IOM identified food as the most urgent need among newly displaced households, followed by shelter and healthcare.
It noted that most displaced families were being accommodated by host communities, placing additional pressure on already overstretched resources and essential services.
The organisation warned that continued displacement, coupled with declining humanitarian funding, was hampering relief operations as needs continued to rise across the conflict-affected province.
