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Houses damaged in Cyclone Gombe, Nampula Mozambique. © UNHCR/Agnes Madziwa
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is deeply concerned by the violence and insecurity that continues in northern Mozambique. Conflict and displacement, compounded by extreme weather events has led to surging protection needs – physical, material, and legal – for hundreds of thousands of affected refugees, internally displaced people, and people from host communities.
Five tropical storms and cyclones have battered Mozambique’s northern coast since the beginning of this year. These have affected thousands of families, including refugees and people internally displaced by ongoing violence in the northern province of Cabo Delgado – illustrating once again how the effects of climate change interact with many of the root causes of displacement.
On 11 March, Tropical Cyclone Gombe ravaged more than 736,000. This includes those living in the Corrane site, which houses internally displaced persons, and refugees in Maratane. Maratane suffered 80 percent damage to shelters, and more then 27,000 refugees, asylum-seekers, and host community members were left in urgent need for assistance.
Climate hazards are affecting every region of the globe. Cyclones, other storms, flooding, droughts, and wildfires all become more common and severe. Over 80 percent of refugees are from the most vulnerable countries in the world.
The climate crisis continues to have an increasing impact in Mozambique. This is causing vulnerability, driving displacement, making it more difficult for refugees, internally displaced people, and host communities.
Violence continues to plague the lives of approximately 783,000 people living in Cabo Delgado, the northern province. A resurgence conflict in Cabo delgado and Niassa has resulted in an estimated 6,000 people being newly displaced. This violence has prevented UN agencies, as well as other humanitarian partners, from reaching people in crisis.
A UNHCR Senior Level Mission visited the country from 24 April to 1 May 2022 to assess how UNHCR and partners can scale up protection and assistance for the people affected by conflict and climate shocks in Mozambique. Mozambique faces these twin challenges in an “invisible” crisis while humanitarian operations are restricted by chronic underfunding.
Mission members witnessed the severe damage caused by Cyclone Gombe. The houses had just melted away. Schools, clinics, and infrastructure were badly damaged or destroyed.
The UNHCR has responded to areas affected by Gombe or other storms by providing shelter and household kit to affected communities and repairing schools and other critical infrastructure.
UNHCR, UN agencies, and humanitarian partners continue to increase protection and assistance activities in areas that are accessible. We want to emphasize how important it is that this can continue.
UNHCR, together with its partners, has provided legal assistance for 21,500 people from both host and displaced communities in Cabo Delgado. It also reached approximately 55,000 people with gender-based violence prevention awareness campaigns.
UNHCR is committed to supporting Mozambique’s government, local authorities and communities to protect and find solutions for refugees; to assisting Mozambique in addressing the impact of internal displacement; and to reinforcing the need for emergency preparedness and responding to extreme weather events.
Mozambique’s needs, already very large, will continue to grow. However, resources are insufficient. To continue and scale up our operations in Mozambique, UNHCR requires US$36.7 million in 2022.
Contact:
- In Maputo, Damien Mc Sweeney, [email protected], +258871864225
- In Pretoria (regional), Hélène Caux, [email protected], +27 82 376 5190
- In Pretoria (regional), Pumla Rulashe, [email protected], +27 82 377 5665
- In Geneva, Boris Cheshirkov, [email protected], +41 79 433 7682
- In New York, Kathryn Mahoney, [email protected], +1 347 443 7646
