ANKARA

The UN on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis triggered by escalating violence in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province where thousands of people were forced to flee their homes.

“Escalating conflict and a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Cabo Delgado has left communities completely reliant on humanitarian assistance,” read a joint statement on Mozambique issued by the United Nations Regional Directors for East and Southern Africa.

The UN’s senior officials cited the Mozambique’s government figures, indicating that attacks by non-state groups have forced over 565,000 people to flee their villages, abandoning their crops and livelihoods.

“The growing insecurity and poor infrastructure have meant that reaching out to people in need has become harder and coupled with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis has become even more complex,” the UN officials said.

They stressed the urgent need to expand protection of people, providing food, health, and nutrition programs for vulnerable children and women, according to the statement.

Investment in development as well as resilience-building are required to not only promote human rights and social justice, but also to limit the impact of current crises and help prevent future ones, they stressed.

They also called for curbing violent extremism through development initiatives and prioritizing the economic empowerment as well as social and political inclusion of women and young people in the country.

The officials urged Mozambique's government and the international community to step up their efforts to put an end to all forms of violence in the southern African nation.

Aid agencies say that in 2021, humanitarian partners will require $254.4 million to assist nearly 1.1 million people out of an estimated 1.3 million in need of humanitarian assistance in Cabo Delgado and neighboring provinces.