Northern Mozambique 'not safe for civilians' - UNHCR

MAPUTO, Mozambique

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is “seriously concerned” about the safety of civilians in northern Mozambique, where the “armed conflict and insecurity” in Palma “continue to displace thousands of people,” the organisation said on Friday.

The UN agency noted that, “two and a half months after a brutal attack by non-state armed groups,” which attacked the town of Palma, “people are fleeing daily in a desperate search for safety, both in Mozambique and across the border with Tanzania,” according to a statement.

“Fleeing people have reported to UNHCR staff that the situation in Palma remains very unstable, with regular shooting at night and house torching,” the statement added.

Some 70,000 people have fled Palma since March 24, bringing the total number of displaced people in Cabo Delgado province to nearly 800,000, according to estimates by humanitarian organisations and the United Nations.

Constant insecurity has forced thousands of families to seek refuge in the south of Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces. “The districts of Nangade, Mueda, Montepuez, Ancuabe, Metuge, Balama, Namuno, Chiure, Mecufi, Ibo and Pemba continue to register new arrivals [of refugees] every day,” UNHCR stresses.

Thousands of people “are trapped in insecure areas around Palma, with restricted humanitarian access,” the organisation stresses. “Many have attempted to cross the river marking the border with Tanzania in search of international protection,” it adds.

According to the Mozambican border authorities, more than 9,600 displaced people have been forcibly repatriated through the Negomano border post since January this year. Some 900 were literally “pushed” back to Mozambique in just a few days from June 7-9, according to the UN agency.

“UNHCR teams have been supporting people arriving in desperate conditions, many of them separated from their relatives,” it stressed.

The displaced Mozambicans, forcibly repatriated by the Tanzanian authorities, “end up in a dire situation at the border and are exposed to gender-based violence and health risks, as many sleep outdoors at night under extreme cold, without blankets or shelters,” UNHCR points out.

“There is an urgent need for emergency relief items, including food,” the organization stresses.

UNHCR reiterates the call for “those fleeing the conflict to have access to territory and asylum, and in particular that the principle of no forced return is respected. Refugees should not be forced to return in danger,” concludes the UN refugee agency.