Incidents associated with the conflict in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, increased 10% in the first half of 2025, with abductions being increasingly used for rescues and forced recruitment, including of children, alerts the UN.
© Lusa
22/09/2026
by
Lusa
The conclusion is contained in the report “Mozambique: The cost of inaction”, released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which describes a worsening of the security situation in the north of the country and warns of the increasing impact of violence on civilians.
According to the document, “in the first six months of 2026, more than 400 incidents of conflict were recorded, 10% more than in the same period of 2025,” including episodes such as homicides, destruction of dwellings, looting and kidnappings.
It also points out that kidnappings are being used “in an increasingly systematic way to rescue and recruit children, including children”, in a context where violence continues to expand to districts with reduced prior exposure to conflict and limited capacity to protect populations.
“The target of this violence is civilians, not collateral damage,” the report stresses, warning that prolonged insecurity and repeated displacements are weakening family and community protection mechanisms.
Province rich in natural gas, Cabo Delgado has been devastated since 2017 by an armed insurgency that has already caused more than 6,600 deaths and 1.2 million displaced since then, according to international organizations.
According to the OCHA report, this situation is increasing the risk of family separation, recruitment and use of children by armed groups, gender-based violence, premature marriages, sexual exploitation and other survival strategies considered harmful.
Currently, some 1.38 million people live with the consequences of the trip to Cabo Delgado, including approximately 662,000 internally displaced people and 722,000 inhabitants who have returned to their respective areas of origin.
“ Behind these figures are families repeatedly forced to leave their homes, children whose education has been interrupted and communities whose livelihoods and access to basic services have been destroyed,” the UN said.
The report adds that “for many, returning home does not mean returning to normal”, due to the persistence of insecurity, destruction of housing, loss of livelihoods and degradation of public services.
The UN also warns of the worsening of humanitarian needs at a time when funding remains insufficient. He points out that the Humanitarian Need and Response Plan for Mozambique needed in August 534 million dollars (457 million euros), but had received only 227 million dollars, equivalent to 43% of the amount required.
According to the document, the logistics, education and nutrition sectors were among the least funded, while in some of the districts most affected by food insecurity, food assistance was reduced to a distribution every two months, covering only 39% of the minimum calorie needs.
“The cost of inaction is borne by the people, not by the programmes,” the report says, defending urgent financial support to prevent a worsening of the humanitarian crisis. “The funding gaps mean fewer meals, fewer services and fewer recovery opportunities before the next crisis,” he adds.