Nearly 22,000 people fled their homes in northern Mozambique in a single week last month due to a resurgence in fighting across Cabo Delgado, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday. The surge in displacement in late September marks a turning point in the conflict – now entering its eighth year – with more than 100,000 people already uprooted during 2025. The violence in Cabo Delgado began in 2017, led by armed groups locally known as al-Shabaab – unrelated to the Somali Islamist militia of the same name. The conflict has evolved into a complex crisis compounded by the effects of repeated cyclones, floods and drought that have devastated livelihoods. For the first time since hostilities began, all 17 districts of Cabo Delgado have been directly affected, and more than 1.3 million people have been displaced – many multiple times. “Families are reaching their limit,” Xavier Creach, head of UNHCR in Mozambique said, noting that some who once hosted the displaced are now fleeing themselves. Civilians continue to be targeted amid reports of killings, abductions and sexual violence, while children face the risk of forced recruitment.
Thousands flee amid renewed fighting in northern Mozambique, UN warns | UN News
