Saltar al contenido principal

Mozambique – Attacks In Palma District, Flash Update No.5 (As of 9 April 2021)

Países
Mozambique
+ 1
Fuentes
OCHA
Fecha de publicación

HIGHLIGHTS

  • More than 14,500 people have arrived from Palma into Nangade, Mueda, Montepuez and Pemba districts since 24 March, and tens of thousands more are thought to be displaced inside Palma district or on the move to safety.

  • Humanitarians, in coordination with the Government, continue to assist displaced people across the province.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

More than two weeks since the attack on Palma began on 24 March in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado, 14,576 people —44 per cent of whom are children—have arrived mainly in Nangade, Mueda, Montepuez and Pemba districts, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Some 436 older people and 181 unaccompanied children are among those who have been registered. At least 70 per cent of the new arrivals are staying with host families, who have generously opened their homes to those fleeing the violence.

There are reportedly thousands of people sheltering at the Quitunda settlement adjacent to Afungi, some 15 kilometres south of Palma Town, and thousands more reportedly on the move through the forest in search of safety. UNHCR is concerned about reports that at least 1,000 people fleeing from Palma Town who tried to enter Tanzania were not allowed to cross the border to seek asylum. Reports collected by the Protection Cluster indicate that safe exit routes from Palma are almost non-existent, with road access to Tanzania further north or Nangade District in the west are not deemed safe, forcing a difficult attempt through alternative routes in the countryside through the bush and forests. Among the main protection issues identified among displaced people arriving at various sites and transit points are family separation, unaccompanied minors, gender-based violence, single-women head of households with no family links in the areas of refuge, elderly, disabled and traumatized individuals in need of psychological support.

The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), operated by the World Food Programme (WFP), has had to temporarily suspend evacuation flights from Palma to Pemba due to the situation.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.