MSF teams have mobilised to provide medical assistance to people fleeing intense violence in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. Since attacks began March, hundreds of people have fled the coastal city of Palma to nearby towns in search of safety - most fleeing by foot and hiding in the bush for days.
“They are terrified. Most are in shock and are dehydrated and hungry.” - MSF Emergency Coordinator Sylvie Kaczmarczyk.
The conflict between the army and non-state armed groups in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique has been ongoing since 2017 and intensified over the last year. Over 670,000 people have been so far displaced by the violence, according to UN OCHA.
“As soon as the magnitude of the attacks in Palma became clearer, MSF teams across Cabo Delgado, including Montepuez, started preparing for a possible new wave of arrivals. In the last few days of March, around 400 people have reached Montepuez, more than a third of them children. The ones arriving say many others are on their way.
“Displaced people arrive in Montepuez agitated and overwhelmed by what they have seen. They cry while speaking about their situation. ‘They killed lots of people, they killed Palma,’ one person told me. They ran into the bush to save their lives and walked all day and night for four or five days.
“Many have seen dead bodies along the way; people who have died from hunger or dehydration.” - Amparo Vilasmil
MSF mental health activities include conversation circles.
“We are working very hard to identify the routes that people fleeing Palma are taking and where they are going to, in order to adapt our response.”
