Unicef supported more than 154 thousand children in Mozambique, but warns

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warns, in its latest humanitarian report on Mozambique, that the security situation in the north of the country remained volatile in July, with new population movements, expansion of armed group movements to southern districts of Cape Delgado province and an increase in the humanitarian needs of children and their families.

That northern province faces an armed insurgency that, since 2017, has caused more than 6,600 deaths.

According to the UNICEF document, released today, “insecurity remained volatile in northern Mozambique in July”, having intensified military operations in Macomia led non-state armed groups to disperse to the districts of Quissanga, Meluco, Ancuabe, Chiúre and Montepuez.

It adds that population movements continued throughout July, with the emergency monitoring tool of the International Organization for Migration to register 3,729 people on the move in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa, of which 1,575 children. Most of these movements took place in Cabo Delgado, with violence being the main factor of displacement, followed by planned returns and fear of further attacks.

According to data cited by UNICEF, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) accounted for 28,163 people displaced by the conflict at the end of July since the beginning of 2026, with women and children responsible for 65% of this total.

In a context of aggravation of vulnerabilities, UNICEF states that, until July, it provided community mental health services and psychosocial support to 154,659 children, adolescents and caregivers in Mozambique, of which 146,071 in the northern provinces affected by the conflict.

Only during July did the agency support 24,603 children, adolescents and caregivers through these services, including 18,645 children in Cabo Delgado through recreational, cultural, sporting and community support activities aimed at strengthening psychological protection and well-being.

The report also highlights that 1,440 children who survived violence received case management services in July and that 46 children who were unaccompanied or separated from the families were reunited with relatives or referred for alternative care.

In education, another sector strongly affected by violence, UNICEF counted 154,608 children with access to formal or non-formal education through programs supported by the organization, including preschool learning. In Cabo Delgado, 208 teachers from Palma district were trained to teach in crisis contexts and identify risks of child protection.

UNICEF also warns of the expected impact of the phenomenon El Niño during the rainy and cyclonic season of 2026-2027. According to the report, the most recent forecasts indicate a 100% probability of the phenomenon persisting until the beginning of 2027, with the possibility of worsening food insecurity, especially in the south and center of the country.

Despite the continuity of humanitarian operations, the United Nations agency marks significant financial constraints. UNICEF’s humanitarian appeal to Mozambique in 2026 amounts to 58.8 million dollars (EUR 50.4 million), but the funding deficit remains at 49%, affecting “Unicef’s ability to respond fully to the needs of children and their caregivers”.

The report estimates that one million children are currently in need of humanitarian assistance in Mozambique, in a universe of 1.8 million people in need, including more than 506,000 internally displaced conflict-related people and about 715,000 return to their home areas.