Attachments
Since 2017, Northern Mozambique has faced a violent insurgency led by Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs), triggering widespread insecurity and displacement, severely impacting the lives of millions of civilians across the country. 80% of those displaced by the conflict are women and children, many living in overcrowded sites with inadequate shelter and sanitation. Successive waves of displacement have also placed additional strain on host communities that were already struggling to meet their own basic needs. The crisis has created acute humanitarian needs, forcing affected communities to adopt negative coping strategies and heightening protection risks including gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), particularly for women, children, and people with disabilities.
In this context, on behalf of the humanitarian community, IOM-Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM-DTM) conducted a Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (MSNA) in Northern Mozambique covering three provinces (Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa) and three population groups (Internally Displaced Persons - IDPs, Returnees and Non-displaced Population).
The objective of the MSNA is to assess multi-sectoral critical humanitarian needs, protection concerns, and service access to inform the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP). In order to further understand how the situation varies across different groups, the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GIHA) Working Group, co-chaired by UN Women and Plan International, conducted a targeted analysis of needs through a gender and inclusion lens.
The MSNA Gender and Inclusion Analysis aims at determining whether these groups face more severe needs or greater barriers in accessing assistance and services to inform a more inclusive and targeted evidence-based humanitarian response in 2026. The analysis provides critical insights into intersectional vulnerabilities, where factors such as gender, age, disability, and displacement overlap to amplify risks—particularly for female-headed households.