Maputo — The Japanese government will provide an additional 1.5 million dollars for food assistance to people displaced due to the terrorism that has been plaguing the northern province of Cabo Delgado, since 2017.

The amount, made available through the World Food Program (WFP), will guarantee emergency food aid for 25,800 displaced people, not only in Cabo Delgado, but also in the neighbouring provinces of Niassa and Nampula.

"This contribution, channelled through the Japan Emergency Financing Fund, will help address food security among the most vulnerable families in Northern Mozambique. It will also allow WFP to address acute and moderate malnutrition by providing assistance to 15,000 children under the age of five and 12,000 pregnant and lactating women', WFP said, in a statement citing Japanese ambassador, Kimura Hajime.

"We stand side by side with the people of Mozambique and will continue to support our Mozambican friends to face the challenges of the ongoing crisis', the ambassador said.

According to WFP, since 2019, Japan has provided 23 million dollars for the UN agency's humanitarian operations, with a focus on Cabo Delgado.

Cabo Delgado province has been facing armed violence for five years with attacks claimed by the extremist group "Islamic State'.

The attacks have led to a military response since July 2021 with support from Rwandan forces and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), liberating districts near natural gas projects, but new waves of attacks have emerged in southern Cabo Delgado, and spilling over into Nampula and Niassa.