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MAPUTO. — Escalating conflict and a deteriorating food security situation have forced over 300 000 people to flee their homes in northern Mozambique, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said yesterday.

The population displaced from Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province was forced to abandon their crops and has been left completely reliant on humanitarian assistance, the report said.

Displacement of communities has been seen in Cabo Delgado for years now, with the province “experiencing attacks by non-state armed groups” since 2017, it added.

The WFP said the latest violence had forced thousands of refugees across the border into neighbouring Tanzania and raised “concerns over the regionalisation of the conflict.”

“We are deeply concerned about the unfolding humanitarian situation in Cabo Delgado where conflict and violence have left people without access to food and livelihoods,” said Antonella D’Aprile, WFP’s representative for Mozambique.

“The growing insecurity and poor infrastructure have meant that reaching out to people in need has become harder and now with Covid-19, the crisis becomes even more complex.”

The UN agency said it “urgently needs $4,7 million per month to assist those internally displaced in northern Mozambique.” — clubofmozambique.com.