Surge in violence pushes children to the breaking point in northern Mozambique

NEW YORK/MAPUTO, 5 December 2025 – Over 100,000 people, around two thirds of them children, have been displaced in northern Mozambique during the month of November, following attacks against civilians.

The latest wave of displacement follows months of continued and expanding attacks by armed non-state actors in the north of the country, triggering repeated population movements in Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces. The largest movements have been reported in the Erati and Memba districts of Nampula. Reports of grave violations against children, including abduction and recruitment and use, are widespread.

“Tens of thousands of children have been forced from their homes in northern Mozambique, with displacements occurring at a staggering pace over a short period of time,” said UNICEF Representative in Mozambique, Mary Louise Eagleton. “This surge in the number of children forced to flee is pushing families into desperate conditions, while essential services – health, education, child protection, water, sanitation and hygiene – strain under the weight of need. Attacks and grave violations of children’s rights must cease immediately.”

This situation is unfolding within a broader context of vulnerability, in which children’s rights to life, protection, development, education, and health care are already under threat. Approximately 4.8 million people in Mozambique require humanitarian assistance, more than half of them children. In addition to the impact of conflict and displacement, children in Mozambique are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis and poverty: an estimated 920,000 children were affected by cyclones in 2025 alone and almost 400,000 children had their learning disrupted due to damage to or loss of classrooms. Recently released data show that 77 per cent of Mozambique’s 16.4 million children live in poverty.

But the response is increasingly constrained with growing shortfalls in funding across child-critical sectors, leaving aid flows overstretched just as needs have spiked, and the cyclone season is about to start.

“The humanitarian response is reaching its breaking point at a very dangerous moment for children, with rapid displacement and a high risk of devastating cyclones in the months to come,” said Eagleton. “Funding cuts are threatening our ability to respond to the most urgent needs. Additional support for collective efforts – by Government, UN, humanitarian and development partners, civil society, communities and the private sector – is desperately needed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children, while also addressing the drivers of conflict and building resilience to climate shocks in Mozambique.”