Pemba, Mozambique, Oct. 1, 2025 (Lusa) - The United Nations has warned that violence in Cabo Delgado province, in northern Mozambique, is set to reach a record high this year, with 519 attacks reported up to the end of August.
According to a field report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), most of the incidents, which include the use of improvised explosive devices, are attacks by non-state armed groups against civilians.
Cabo Delgado province, which is rich in natural gas, has been facing an armed rebellion since 2017, which has caused thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis, with more than a million people displaced.
The UN agency says that the "escalation of conflict and violence" in northern Mozambique affects civilians in the districts of Ancuabe, Balama, Chiúre, Macomia, Mocímboa da Praia, Montepuez, and Muidumbe in Cabo Delgado, the districts of Nangade and Memba in Nampula province, and some regions of Niassa province.
"Civil violence is on course to reach a record high in 2025, with 519 attacks reported by the end of August, compared to 448 in 2022," it warned.
OCHA also says that data from humanitarian organisations operating in the region indicates that 20,181 people, including more than 10,000 children, have been displaced in Cabo Delgado since August.
The organisation acknowledged, however, that the number could be higher, since additional displacements have not yet been recorded and many people remain in their communities, "fleeing into the bush and returning home as soon as security allows", or seeking refuge in other communities.
"In Nampula province, on 25 September, the Mozambique Defence Forces intercepted an armed group in the district of Eráti, arresting one member. In retaliation, they allegedly killed a civilian, whose body was found along the Lúrio River," it says.
Attacks in Membana on Friday resulted in multiple kidnappings and house fires, and "new attacks" two days later in Memba destroyed houses and public infrastructure, including a school and a health centre in the community of Pavala, OCHA reports.
"In Niassa, the Islamic State Mozambique, through a media outlet linked to the Islamic State, took responsibility for the kidnapping of a couple in the Marrupa district on 22 September. The woman was later released," said the organisation.
The UN agency explains that there are also affected people who remain in the communities, many of whom had already been displaced and have returned to their areas of origin, since the provision of humanitarian aid has dropped "significantly" in the areas of displacement, mainly in the south of Cabo Delgado, since 2023.
"Partners are providing assistance to displaced populations in Mueda, Muidumbe, Ancuabe, Balama and Montepuez, through the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) led by Non-Governmental Organisations, but many in other districts remain without support; more flexible funding is needed," the document adds.
By the end of July, attacks by these groups had already displaced more than 57,000 people in Chiúre district, in the south of Cabo Delgado province, according to previous official figures.
Meanwhile, the province has seen an upsurge in attacks by rebel groups, with the districts of Chiúre, Muidumbe, Quissanga, Ancuabe and Meluco being targeted.
More recently, Mocímboa da Praia has also seen several deaths, leading Médecins Sans Frontières to suspend local activities for security reasons.
In 2024 alone, at least 349 people died in attacks in northern Mozambique, most of them claimed by the extremist group Islamic State, an increase of 36% on the previous year.
LYCE/ADB // ADB.
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