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Operational Context: UNHCR Mozambique
Mozambique ranks 181 out of 189 countries on the 2021 Human Development Index. It faces large-scale internal displacement caused by violent conflict in the north, hosts a protracted refugee population, is strongly affected by climate change, and is regularly exposed to extreme weather events such as cyclones and floods. The impact of COVID-19, disease outbreaks such as cholera, and conflict in the north, further compound the vulnerabilities of the population to economic shocks, fragility and poverty.
The country is rich in natural resources such as natural liquid gas. There are 1.62 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance and protection (HNO 2023) with 1,028,000 people displaced internally in northern Mozambique (IOM DTM, November 2022). Violations against civilians continued such as killing, beating, extortion, widespread damage to property and core public services, grave violations of children’s rights and conflict related sexual violence. Mozambique hosts over 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from east and central Africa. 67 per cent of these refugees and asylum seekers live in urban and rural areas, while the remaining 33 per cent reside in the Maratane Refugee Settlement in Nampula province.
UNHCR’s government counterpart, INAR, under the Ministry of Interior, is the lead authority on refugees in Mozambique. In 2022, Mozambique was impacted by five tropical storms along its northern coastal areas, affecting thousands of families, including refugees, asylum seekers and IDPs. More than 736,000 people were affected in the north of Mozambique due to Tropical Cyclone Gombe in March 2022 with ongoing dramatic impacts. According to the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) 63 people lost their lives to Cyclone Gombe mostly in the Nampula, Niassa and Zambezia provinces, while 108 were injured. Maratane refugee settlement in Nampula, the only official refugee settlement in Mozambique, was also heavily hit with over 80 per cent of shelters damaged, and infrastructure, warehouse, schools, and health centres destroyed.
Over one million internally displaced people (IDPs) were recorded in Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Inhambane, and Zambezia provinces due to conflict and violence perpetrated by Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs). Attacks and subsequent displacement continue with newly displaced often in need of urgent life-saving assistance, including food, shelter, and basic services. Meanwhile with the conflict in its fifth year, finding sustainable solutions remains paramount. During 2022, transport fees increased significantly due to growing demand and the impact of the Ukraine crisis, so many people were forced to travel by foot, and subsequently were exposed to protection risks, particularly people with heightened vulnerabilities, such as GBV survivors, children, older people, people living with disabilities, pregnant women, and single women heads of households.