Mozambique: Nampula: Escalation of violence in Memba and Erati districts - response dashboard, as of 3 December 2025

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Violence sparks displacement, children bear the brunt of the crisis. Attacks by non-State armed groups (NSAGs) in Nampula Province in mid-November, combined with widespread fear of continued violence, triggered displacement across northern Mozambique. According to IOM Movement Alert #151, a total of 82,691 people fled from Memba to Erati, with additional movements to other districts in Nampula an across the border into Mecufi district in Cabo Delgado. Approximately 67 per cent of the displaced are children (70,000), highlighting the extreme vulnerability of families caught in sudden, fear-driven flight.

Local authorities are coordinating private-sector and community support for people affected. Since 10 November, over 100 metric tons of assistance have beenmobilized from businesses, faith groups, and individual donors, supporting more than 30,000 people.

Humanitarian partners are complementing the Government’s response but the assistance provided is insufficient and minimum standards are not met. By 3 December, humanitarian assistance had reached an estimated 58,000 people across affected districts on Nampula and in Mecufi district in Cabo Delgado. The majority of assistance has been provided in Alua posto in Erati district. The Food Security and Livelihoods cluster provided multipurpose cash vouchers to 25,000 people and two weeks of food rations to 8,500 people. Health partners reached 30,000 people withessential sexual and reproductive health services and medical supplies. Shelter and NFIs cluster supported 21,000 people with emergency shelter and non-food items,while WASH clusters distributed hygiene kits to 8,500 people. CCCM provided sitemanagement services in support of 15,000 people. Education cluster reached 2,000 people with MHPSS, accelerated education activities. Nutrition cluster screened 700 children under the age of five for malnutrition.

Thousands of children are exposed to heightened risks of family separation, gender-based violence, and child exploitation. Limited protection and GBV services have reached only 13,000 and 3,000 people respectively, leaving the most vulnerable further exposed. The urgent scale-up of protection interventions is critical.

The ability of humanitarian partners to respond at scale with speed is severely compromised by lack of resources. As of 9 December, there are reports that displaced people are moving back to areas destroyed by violence are deeplyconcerning and underscore the urgent need for sustained assistance to prevent despair-driven returns. Returns must be safe, voluntary, and dignified.

With humanitarian supplies nearly depleted after repeated displacement crises, the humanitarian team in Mozambique urgently calls for immediate, flexible, and front-loaded funding to deliver life-saving assistance in the north. As the rainy season hits, Mozambique is dangerously unprepared, with rising displacement and a cholera outbreak in Nampula sharply increasing the risk of mortality for vulnerable populations.