Insurgency in Northern Mozambique Spreads to Niassa Province

Insurgents in northern Mozambique are moving away from the heavy military push by the Rwandan and SADC troops and have gone to Niassa province. Two attacks have been reported in Mecula, the Niassa district that borders both Tanzania and Mueda in Cabo Delgado. Parts of Niassa still have very low population resulting from the slave trade 200 years ago, and the insurgents have established bases in remote parts of  the district.

Meanwhile, relations between host and displaced communities seem to be deteriorating, both groups told a survey by UNHCR's Cabo Delgado Protection Cluster. The survey and focus group interviews were done in Quitunda, Maganja and Mondlane villages, just south of Palma, which have a mix of people who fled Palma.

Some community leaders were said to be denying IDP children's access to school and excluding IDP households from distribution lists. Evidence of discrimination towards the IDP community  was also mentioned in relation to service providers. Pregnant women recounted walking for five hours only to be turned away at the health centre when trying to access maternity services.

The Cabo Delgado province, the epicentre of the insurgency, has seen the displacement of more than 800,000 people, the killing of more than 2,500 civilians and the threat of losing billions in gas projects run by multinational companies in the region.