By European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations
Peter Biro, Regional Information Officer
Abodo Alif Bakar’s life changed forever when Islamist militants stormed into his town, killing people, looting property and setting houses on fire. 4 years later he’s homeless again – this time by a devastating cyclone.
The sun had just risen above the palm trees when armed men emerged from the bush and entered Quiterajo, a small coastal town in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province. The group, militants from an Islamic State affiliate known as ISIS-Mozambique, quickly rounded up the entire village, forcing them at gunpoint into the local mosque. The insurgents, who have rampaged across Cabo Delgado for more than 7 years, are known to commit horrific crimes against civilians, including beheadings and sexual violence.
“They tied me up with rope,” Abodo Alif Bakar said in the coastal fishing village of Maueia.
The militants then asked each villager three questions related to Islam. Those who failed to answer were shot dead on the spot.
“The whole village was forced to watch when they murdered ten people,” Abodo says. “They say that they are Muslim. But real Muslims do not behave like this.”
As the militants retreated, they set all houses on fire and the villagers scattered into the surrounding bush. Soon after, by cover of night, Abodo, his family and neighbours fled Quiterajo by boat. The 58-year-old eventually found refuge in a village near the Cabo Delgado capital Pemba, seeking out a living as a fisherman and by selling charcoal by the roadside.
But as Abodo slowly settled into the rhythm of survival, Tropical Cyclone Chido—one of the most powerful in recent years —formed off the coast. Surging toward land and increasingly gaining strength, the storm made landfall on 15 December last year, causing widespread devastation. Relentless winds and torrential rain reduced homes to rubble, sweeping away crops and possessions. What had been a refuge for Abodo and his family in an instant turned into a wasteland.
To respond to the impact of the tropical cyclone, the European Union rapidly provided funding to its humanitarian partner CARE to distribute shelter materials, tents, blankets, water purification chemicals and other essential aid to thousands of people in Maueia and other devastated communities. EU’s humanitarian partners are also helping Mozambique to minimize the impact of disasters, such as the establishing of early warning systems and other disaster preparedness measures. It has also set up warehouses in strategic locations, stocked with food, water and other essentials to quickly reach people affected by disaster.
“Due to its position and climate, Mozambique is extremely prone to disasters,” said Olivier Brouant, who oversees EU rapid response programmes in East and Southern Africa. “The cyclones hit an already very vulnerable population affected by years of conflicts and chronic poverty”.
All told, some 1.7 million people require food, water, healthcare, shelter, education and other urgent humanitarian aid in Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa provinces. Over 4.9 million people are currently facing severe food insecurity in Mozambique, yet the crisis continues to be underfunded, even more so with the recent reduction of foreign aid.
The ongoing conflict has already claimed some 6,600 people’s lives and since the onset of the conflict in 2017 some 1.3 million have been forced to flee their homes. Finding food and shelter has become a daily struggle in a province endowed with minerals, timber and some of the largest natural gas reserves in the world.
Aside from the conflict and the constant threat of cyclones and other natural hazards, Mozambique remains among the world's poorest countries, exacerbated by an ongoing economic downturn, said Katia Dos Santos Dias, CARE’s Mozambique director.
“Just in the past months alone, Mozambique has been hit by at least 3 tropical cyclones, each having a devastating impact on already vulnerable communities,” she said. “These cyclical climate shocks, as well as drought and unpredictable rainfall, are destroying livelihoods, leaving families homeless, and leading to escalating food insecurity.”
Despite the large-scale suffering, Mozambique remains a largely forgotten crisis.
“The sad truth is that Mozambique hardly gets global attention, and remains largely overlooked,” Olivier Brouant said.
“But the European Union will stay and continue its assistance for as long as needed.”