UN Refugee Agency boosting response capacity in Mozambique: spokesman

A UN spokesman said Friday that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is boosting its response capacity in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, following a recent escalation of violence.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that at least 100,000 people are now displaced throughout the province, where at least 28 attacks were carried out by armed groups since the beginning of the year.

UNHCR said the past few weeks have been the most volatile period since violent incidents began in October 2017, Haq added. "So far, hundreds of villages have been burned or are now completely abandoned as armed groups carry out wide and indiscriminate attacks. Government institutions have also been targeted."

According to Haq, in response to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, and at the request of the Mozambican government to all humanitarian agencies, UNHCR is expanding its presence in the province and will be deploying additional aid and staff to meet the need, initially, for 15,000 displaced people and hosts communities.

The agency is appealing for urgent and strong support to scale up its response in Mozambique, Haq said.