Over 100,000 Displaced in Northern Mozambique as Child Suffering Intensifies

UNICEF and partners have also documented grave violations against children, including abductions, forced recruitment, separation from families, and exposure to sexual and gender-based violence.

More than 100,000 people—the majority of them children—were forced to flee their homes in northern Mozambique in November, following a sharp escalation of attacks by armed non-state groups. UNICEF reports that close to two-thirds of the displaced are children, underscoring the severe toll the crisis is taking on the country’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens.

Escalating Violence and Repeated Displacement

The latest mass displacement is part of a broader pattern of insecurity affecting Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces. Armed groups have expanded the scale and frequency of attacks, targeting civilians and triggering rapid population movements. The heaviest displacement has been recorded in Erati and Memba districts, where families have fled repeatedly, often with little more than the clothes they were wearing.

UNICEF and partners have also documented grave violations against children, including abductions, forced recruitment, separation from families, and exposure to sexual and gender-based violence.

Humanitarian Services Under Extreme Pressure

“Tens of thousands of children have been forced from their homes in northern Mozambique, with displacements occurring at a staggering pace,” said Mary Louise Eagleton, UNICEF Representative in Mozambique. She warned that basic services—health care, education, child protection, water and sanitation—are collapsing under the growing strain.

Families arriving in displacement sites face dire conditions:

• limited shelter

• severe shortages of clean water

• rising malnutrition

• lack of psychosocial support

• overcrowded temporary learning spaces

Humanitarian teams report that the speed of displacement has outpaced their ability to provide adequate support.

A Country Already in Crisis

Mozambique’s children were already extremely vulnerable before this latest surge of violence. The country faces overlapping crises—armed conflict, climate shocks and chronic poverty. The latest assessments show:

• 4.8 million people require humanitarian assistance

• more than half are children

• 920,000 children were affected by cyclones in 2025

• nearly 400,000 children had their education disrupted due to damaged schools

• 77% of the nation’s 16.4 million children live in poverty

These indicators position Mozambique among the hardest places in the world to be a child.

Funding Shortfalls Threaten the Response

Despite rising needs, funding for essential humanitarian programmes has sharply declined. Key sectors—nutrition, water and sanitation, child protection, education, and emergency health—are reporting critical shortfalls. Frontline responders warn that without immediate additional funding, life-saving interventions may halt completely.

“The humanitarian response is reaching its breaking point,” Eagleton cautioned. “Rapid displacement combined with the high risk of devastating cyclones over the coming months has created a dangerous environment for children. If funding does not increase, many won’t receive the urgent help they need.”

A Call for Coordinated Action

UNICEF is urging the international community to intensify support for Mozambique through:

• rapid funding for emergency operations

• investment in resilience-building and conflict prevention

• strengthened protection systems for children

• closer partnership with government, civil society, and local communities

Addressing both the immediate needs and the structural drivers of conflict—while preparing for imminent climate shocks—is essential to prevent further suffering.

A Crisis That Cannot Be Ignored

As violence continues and cyclone season approaches, the situation for children in northern Mozambique is becoming increasingly perilous. Without swift, coordinated action, the humanitarian emergency risks deepening further, with long-term consequences for millions of children.