Northern Mozambique is plunged into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, fueled by a brutal escalation of the conflict in Cabo Delgado province. According to the latest UN figures, this resurgence of violence has led to the forced displacement of more than 100,000 people in just a few weeks.
We, civil society organizations working alongside the people of Mozambique, are sounding the alarm about the catastrophic worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Cabo Delgado province. The figures reported by the UN are more than just statistics: they tell the story of the collapse of a region and the unspeakable suffering of hundreds of thousands of human beings.
A multifaceted tragedy:
Unprecedented scale: With more than 330,000 people displaced in 2025 alone, this year is, as OCHA emphasizes, the most dramatic since the start of the conflict in 2017. The displacement of more than 100,000 people in just a few weeks testifies to a violence that is not abating, but rather escalating.
Deep trauma: Families fleeing for the second or third time, accounts of extreme violence, and psychological distress leading to suicide attempts reveal a major mental health crisis, too often ignored.
The tragedy of children: That 67% of those displaced are children is a scandal. Separated from their families, exposed to exploitation and abuse, and deprived of education, an entire generation is being sacrificed.
Looming health and food catastrophe: Overcrowding in makeshift shelters, the cholera outbreak in Memba and Metuge, and the inability to cultivate fields due to insecurity create a deadly combination. Hunger is yet another weapon in this conflict.
Aid under siege: The fact that only 40,000 people have been reached with minimal aid, while stocks are depleted after a year of cyclones, drought, and violence, is proof of a humanitarian system on the verge of collapse. This inadequacy is not inevitable, but the result of chronic underfunding and obstructed access.
Faced with this intolerable situation, civil society demands a response commensurate with the challenge and makes urgent recommendations:
1. Immediate and substantial increase in humanitarian funding: We call on international donors to immediately fill the funding gap for the humanitarian response plan in Mozambique. Lives cannot wait for the next budget cycles.
2. Protection of civilians as an absolute priority: All parties to the conflict must respect international humanitarian law. The international community must support efforts to secure humanitarian corridors and civilian areas, placing the protection of populations, particularly children and women, at the heart of all strategies.
3. Strengthening specialized assistance: An emergency response must include immediate and large-scale psychosocial support for survivors of violence and those experiencing psychological distress.
4. Ensuring education and child protection: Safe spaces for children, accelerated family reunification programs, and the establishment of temporary educational spaces are non-negotiable survival measures.
5. Anticipating health crises: An emergency plan is needed to address the threat of cholera and other epidemics by providing safe drinking water, sanitation, and primary healthcare in all displacement sites.
6. Supporting host communities: The populations hosting displaced people are exhausted. Aid must support them directly to prevent a broader collapse of the social and economic fabric.
The crisis in Cabo Delgado is not a “forgotten crisis.” It is an ignored crisis. Outrage must be translated into concrete action. Every day lost exacerbates suffering and jeopardizes the future of an entire region.
We cannot, we must not, let northern Mozambique sink alone.