The displacement follows a wave of coordinated assaults across Cabo Delgado and neighboring Nampula province in November. Local authorities and aid providers say the scale and speed of the movement have overwhelmed existing reception sites and basic services.

Attacks Trigger Mass Displacement

Armed groups carried out attacks between 10 and 23 November, forcing civilians to flee multiple districts.

At least 108,000 people, including around 70,000 children, were displaced from Memba district alone. The violence also killed 12 civilians in Cabo Delgado and 21 in Nampula during the same period.

Shelters Overcrowded And Inadequate

Displaced families are living in schools, administrative buildings, tents, and open areas not designed for long-term shelter. Many lack sufficient food, clean water, sanitation, and access to health care, with outbreaks of diarrhea and malaria reported.

Witnesses said elderly people were abandoned and children separated from families during flight.

Aid Falls Short Of Needs

Provincial authorities mobilized 100 tons of food, enough for only 13,500 people for 15 days. Emergency food kits reached about 8,000 people, while humanitarian agencies assisted roughly 8,500 more with mixed support packages. Officials acknowledged that supplies remain far below what is required as new arrivals continue daily.

Conflict Has Long-Term Impact

Since 2017, the insurgency has killed more than 2,500 people and displaced over 1.3 million nationwide. Attacks have destroyed schools, health centers, and civilian infrastructure across northern provinces.

The fighting has increasingly spread beyond Cabo Delgado into parts of Nampula, widening the humanitarian burden.