Maputo, 19 Nov (AIM) – Almost 1,600 people have fled from their homes over the past few days in Muidumbe district, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, as a result of attacks by Islamist terrorists, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
According to an IOM report, since 13 November, Muidumbe district has witnessed “a significant presence of Non-State Armed Groups, triggering displacements due to insecurity and fear of further attacks in surrounding areas”.
“Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) field teams recorded the arrival of 1,593 individuals (490 households) across three sites: Centro de Matambalae/Simon Nchusha (723 individuals), Centro de Miteda (676 individuals), and Centro de reassentamento de Lutete (194 individuals). Women and children make up the majority of arrivals, respectively 411 and 923”, reads the document.
The organization points out that immediate humanitarian needs include food, shelter, and non-food items (NFIs).
The IOM also warns that the violence is tending to spread to other regions, especially in Nampula.
A survey by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), Cabo Delgado, recorded 11 violent events between 27 October and 9 November, mainly involving elements linked to the extremist Islamic State movement, causing ten civilian deaths.
According to the latest ACLED report, of the 2,251 violent events recorded since October 2017, when the armed insurgency in Cabo Delgado began, a total of 2,077 involved elements associated with the Islamic State-Mozambique (ISM) extremist movement.
In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks in northern Mozambique, most claimed by Islamic State. This was a 36 per cent increase over the previous year, according to a study released by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS), an academic institution of the U.S. Department of Defence.
Since 2017, violent extremist attacks in Cabo Delgado have killed at least 6,316 people and displaced over one million.
(AIM)
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