Maputo, Mozambique — The United Nations refugee agency’s representative in Mozambique warned that refugees fleeing the war‑torn regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo are worsening an already complex humanitarian crisis in northern Mozambique. In an exclusive interview with VOA on Wednesday, Samuel Chakwera said the agency now needs additional resources to support the incoming asylum seekers, on top of the needs of already settled refugees and Mozambique’s own internally displaced persons.
“The refugees are coming from North and South Kivu, where conflict continues,” Chakwera explained. “Their situation is far from ideal. We already have others integrated, with many in Maputo, Beira and Tete.” Violent clashes between non‑state armed groups and government forces regularly force hundreds of thousands to flee their homes in eastern DRC. In February alone, aid agencies reported that nearly 300,000 people escaped from the Rutshuru and Masisi territories in North Kivu province. Small numbers of these displaced persons have now entered Mozambique’s troubled northern regions, where Islamist‑linked insurgents are fighting government troops in the oil‑rich Cabo Delgado province.
According to the UN official, Mozambique currently hosts close to 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers. About 9,500 reside in the Maratane settlement camp in Nampula province, while the remaining 19,000 live in urban areas with host families. The UN refugee agency works in full coordination with the Mozambican government to meet lifesaving needs and advance protection and durable solutions for forcibly displaced persons.
Chakwera said the growing influx of temporary refugees and asylum seekers from the DRC is straining Mozambique’s resources. “We are appealing for more funding from our donors to provide things like shelter,” he said. “We need resilient shelter because of the weather conditions, and that is the biggest request we have for international partners.”
Mozambique’s low‑lying coast is prone to climate‑induced disasters, and the UN also provides emergency assistance after powerful cyclones. Cyclone Freddy struck the country twice—in February and March—leaving a trail of damage, killing dozens of people, and displacing 250,000 others in central and northern Mozambique.
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