Facts & figures
About 2 million people require life-saving and life-sustaining humanitarian assistance and protection (UN OCHA)
Over 3.5 million people face severe food insecurity, including 1.15 million conflict-affected people in northern Mozambique.
Nearly 1 million people displaced by violence in Cabo Delgado (IOM)
EU humanitarian funding:
€25 million in 2023
Over €28 million in 2022
Introduction
The humanitarian situation in Mozambique's Northern Province of Cabo Delgado continues to deteriorate.
An escalation of violence has internally displaced over 1 million people. At least 2 million people are estimated to require immediate humanitarian assistance and protection in Cabo Delgado and in neighbouring provinces of Niassa and Nampula.
Millions face food insecurity, which is attributed to several factors, including the security situation, armed violence, and climate shocks.
What are the needs?
Mozambique faces multiple shocks, including conflict in Northern Mozambique, frequent natural hazards, disease outbreaks, and the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 restrictive measures.
Non-state armed groups continued to destabilise pockets of territory during 2022, generating new waves of displacement and constantly undermining the provision of humanitarian assistance.
Humanitarian needs are overwhelming in the country, and particularly in Northern Mozambique:
- about 2 million people require protection, food assistance, nutrition services, health, education, water and sanitation, and shelter
- over 3.5 million people are estimated to face acute food insecurity, out of which 1.15 million in Cabo Delgado and the neighbouring provinces of Niassa and Nampula
Over 3.5 million people are currently facing severe food insecurity in the country, out of which nearly 33% of those affected live in Northern Mozambique.
Moreover, Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine is also increasing prices on the market. This undermines the availability and access to food, fuel, fertilisers, and other commodities for the most vulnerable populations.
Climate change increases the recurrence and intensity of natural hazards, including floods, cyclones and droughts.
More recently, in late February 2023 the passage of tropical storm Freddy caused heavy rains and flooding, increasing the risk of water-borne diseases, and particularly the risk of cholera spreading. This is in addition to damages related to agriculture and infrastructures.
In early 2022, the country was also hit by tropical storm Ana, tropical depression Dumako, and cyclone Gombe, which affected more than 200,000 people.
How are we helping?
In 2023, the EU made an initial allocation of €25 million in humanitarian assistance. The assistance is directed to the most vulnerable people affected by armed violence in the northern part of the country, including the internally displaced people and their host communities.
In addition, in February 2023, the EU provided €200,000 in emergency humanitarian funding to assist those most affected by tropical storm Freddy.
Through a multi-sectoral approach, EU humanitarian funding helps provide (i) protection services, (ii) shelter and non-food items; (iii) drinkable water, sanitation and hygiene (water and sanitation); (iv) food and nutrition assistance; (v) logistics; and (vi) education in emergencies.
The EU also maintains its support towards enhancing disaster preparedness in the country.
Preparedness and prompt action can reduce the impact of natural hazards and help save lives and livelihoods. To this end, the EU supports actions that enhance the capacity of communities. We also support local and national disaster management authorities to prepare for and respond to disasters.
The EU also supports disaster preparedness actions in schools through safe learning facilities, training teachers in early warning and teaching children how to stay safe.
Building on lessons learned during last years' floods, the European Commission also worked on strategic emergency stock prepositioning to facilitate and speed up the response to natural hazards.
In addition, the European Commission provided €100 million in humanitarian assistance to support the rollout of vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 in countries in Africa with critical humanitarian needs and fragile health systems.
Out of this funding, €8.9 million was allocated to the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region in 2021, of which €2.5 million supports the rollout of vaccination campaigns in Mozambique.
Several EU-funded projects use technology and innovative approaches. For example, they used drones in the tropical storm Freddy response in Mozambique to map high-risk areas. In addition, they also use mobile text messages to warn communities of impending dangers and allow communities to provide information to the disaster management authorities.
The EU is implementing an integrated approach to respond to the multi-dimensional needs of the populations affected by the armed violence and address the root causes of the Cabo Delgado crisis.
The integrated approach sets out humanitarian, development, peacebuilding and security actions both ongoing and to be conducted in the short, medium and longer term while complying with international humanitarian law, human rights and the rule of law.
This complementarity translates into a set of interventions. EU humanitarian aid remains based on needs and in full respect of the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence.