Cabo Delgado – Cyclones, floods, droughts, destroyed livelihoods, ever-increasing food prices, and a lack of basic services. This is the dramatic scenario in northern Mozambique, and also in the rest of the country, to which are added reports of killings, kidnappings, and sexual violence. Children are the hardest hit and are being forcibly recruited. Women are particularly vulnerable to domestic and sexual violence, people with disabilities and the elderly struggle to escape during attacks, and some are left behind. Many of the displaced suffer from severe mental health problems and are in urgent need of support.
“The situation in Cabo Delgado has been out of control for eight years. The Mozambican Liberation Front has been in power for fifty years and is wreaking havoc,” observers, who wish to remain anonymous for security reasons, told Fides, confirming the unprecedented violence and a context of real humanitarian crisis.
In 2025, the violence escalated rapidly. By the end of August, over 500 incidents affecting civilians had been recorded, including attacks on villages, kidnappings, murders, looting, and the destruction of homes and infrastructure.
“Everything that has been reported in the local press so far is true. There is much to tell, but if you speak the truth here, you will be killed, if not by gunfire, then by poison or other means,” the observers emphasized. “Among the victims of recent months is Machel Samora, the nephew of Mozambique’s first president, who wanted to enter politics with clean hands. He was found dead in an abandoned area of Maputo.”
“Among the many people I met,” the observer continued, “a Mozambican soldier told me: ‘It’s true, we are the ones looting, we are the ones causing this unrest, but we are divided into groups and have to carry out the orders of the big bosses in order to survive with our families.’ Wherever they go, there is destruction, suffering, all kinds of torment.”
“The situation is truly dire,” the observer concluded, confirming a reality marked by immense suffering. “We are all suffering under the increasingly precarious economic situation, the corruption, the drought. Even going to the hospital sometimes means dying.” “There’s gas here, rubies, diamonds, in some places there is gold, heavy minerals—everything you could possibly want,” the observer affirms, “but no one considers the impact all of this has on these still-developing countries.”
The Islamist insurgency in Mozambique began in 2017 and continues to keep the situation extremely tense, with over 6,000 dead and more than 1.3 million displaced. The political, social, and economic situation is equally dire, especially since Daniel Chapo, Secretary General of the ruling Frelimo party, was elected president .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.