‘Desperate’ situation in northern Mozambique: UN rights chief

The United Nations has called for urgent measures to protect civilians in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province, warning the population is “desperate”.

The UN rights office said attacks by armed groups had increased in the region in recent weeks, reportedly leaving dozens of people dead and forcing thousands to flee their homes.

“The situation is desperate both for those trapped in conflict-affected areas, with barely any means of surviving and for those displaced across the province and beyond,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement on Friday.

“Those who remain have been left deprived of basic necessities and are at risk of being killed, sexually abused, kidnapped, or forcibly recruited by armed groups. Those that flee may die trying,” she said.

Armed groups have caused havoc in Cabo Delgado over the past three years, ravaging villages and towns as part of a campaign to establish an independent state.

The attackers have stepped up their offensive in recent months and violently seized swathes of territory, as citizens reeled in the process.