The humanitarian crisis in Mozambique will likely last for a long time after a sharp increase in militant attacks in the northern region of Cabo Delgado, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Director of Emergency Programs Manuel Fontaine said on Tuesday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th April, 2021) The humanitarian crisis in Mozambique will likely last for a long time after a sharp increase in militant attacks in the northern region of Cabo Delgado, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Director of Emergency Programs Manuel Fontaine said on Tuesday.
"What we are seeing here at the moment - what I am seeing here, after years of experience in dealing with humanitarian situations - is that we are facing both a large and likely long-lasting humanitarian situation," Fontaine said in a press briefing.
Fontaine explained he has been in Cabo Delgado for a few days and had a chance to meet internally displaced people in Pemba, Montepuez and other locations.
The recent uptick in violence has displaced one-third of the population in the area into villages and towns that are already poor and now see their population size doubling, or in some cases tripling, Fontaine said.
The general global acute malnutrition rate among internally displaced people is high - almost 13 percent - and will only worsen, Fontaine said.
UNICEF and the World food Program are "very poorly funded" at present to effectively respond to the growing needs in the area and asked for additional support from international donors, Fontaine added.
