Over 46,000 Displaced in Northern Mozambique by Islamic State-Linked Fighters, UN Reports

Monday August 4, 2025
By The NewsDESK |

The United Nations, UN, says violence by Islamic State-affiliated militants has forced thousands to flee their homes in Mozambique, according to agency reports.

A surge in insurgent attacks in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province forced more than 46,000 people to flee their homes within just eight days in July, according to the United Nations migration agency, ARISE News reported.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday that nearly 60% of those displaced were children. While no deaths have been reported, the impact of the violence has been widespread, affecting families across three districts between 20 and 28 July.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) attributed the sudden displacement to renewed attacks by Islamic State-linked militants, who have plagued the region for over eight years. The conflict has prompted the deployment of Rwandan troops to support Mozambican forces in combating the jihadist threat.

The insurgents have been accused of beheading villagers and abducting children to use as labourers or child soldiers. The UN estimates that over 1 million people have been displaced in northern Mozambique due to the conflict, compounded by severe drought and repeated cyclones in recent years.

In response to the latest wave of displacements, Doctors Without Borders said it has launched an emergency operation to assist thousands now sheltering in camps in Chiure district, which was hardest hit by the violence.

Cabo Delgado is home to vast offshore natural gas reserves. The unrest forced French energy giant TotalEnergies to suspend a $20 billion extraction project in the region in 2021.