GENEVA

Northern Mozambique is facing a "profound protection crisis," with escalating violence driving mass displacement in what has become "the worst year" for civilian harm since the conflict began in 2017, the UN humanitarian office warned on Friday.

Speaking to reporters online in Geneva, Paola Emerson, the head of OCHA Mozambique, said more than 107,000 people have been newly displaced since mid-November, marking the third major wave this year and bringing the total to over 330,000 in 2025 alone.

Many have fled multiple times, she noted, with some arriving in reception centers after "unspeakable violence" and amid "alarming reports of suicide attempts."

Children account for 67% of those uprooted, many separated from families or orphaned and exposed to abuse, exploitation, and school interruption.

"No child should ever have to grow up under such conditions," Emerson stressed.

Families are sheltering in overcrowded schools, makeshift areas, and strained host communities, as health risks climb with cholera confirmed in Memba and Metuge, she said, adding that insecurity has also disrupted farming, deepening hunger.

Four weeks into the latest displacement, rapid aid has reached 40,350 people in Erati, but only with two weeks of food. Stocks are nearly depleted after a year marked by cyclones, drought, and repeated violence, according to the region chief.

"There are no food and health stocks left," Emerson warned.

The Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, but needs far exceed the available resources, according to OCHA. Mozambique's 2025 humanitarian plan seeks $352 million, however, only $97 million has been received.

"Above all, what is needed is peace, people to farm their land, and children to take exams at schools instead of fleeing violence," Emerson said.