Seeking a holistic community response to the impact of violence in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique

Seeking a holistic community response to the impact of violence in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique.

It has been a privilege to visit the Cabo Delgado Province in NE Mozambique with the Mission Director and Director of Justice and Service of the Methodist Church in Southern Africa, Rev. Musi Losaba and Nancy Herron, and with Rev. Dinis Matsolo, formerly Methodist Bishop in Mozambique, and now the Executive Director of PIRCOM (Inter-Religious Platform for Health Communication) in Mozambique.

Since 2017, there have been an increasing number of Insurgent attacks in the region by an ISIS-linked group, Al-Shabab, that have resulted in the displacement of over a million people in Cabo Delgado Province. The severity of these attacks led to the deployment of an International Force of South African and Rwandan soldiers (SAMIM) in 2021, who until early in 2024, had helped to improve the security situation and enable some of the displaced people to return to their homes. However, in 2024, there was a further upsurge in violence leading to a further 100,000 people fleeing their homes for safer areas. A Military Adviser for SAMIM who met with us said that the difficulty both for the Mozambique Government and for the SAMIM forces, (who will be completing their deployment in August 2024) is that the Province alone is three times the size of Rwanda and much of the territory is forested and difficult to access. He further concluded that the solution cannot be purely a military one but must engage ways to address the reasons for the success of these insurgencies and the social insecurities that exist within local communities.

The conflict is resulting in multiple challenges. We met with the District Administrator of the Chiure District which recently received 100,000 refugees – an influx that has added to the existing 400,000 population of the District. He spoke movingly of the humanitarian need both for the local population and for the displaced, who need land, food, water, education, health care. Much effort is being made by Government Agencies, NGOs and the ecumenical Christian Council of the Province to develop Capacity Building training for local communities; to integrate displaced persons into the community; to improve and provide sanitation; to improve food security; to engage in peace building and dialogue; to provide the security and stability for those who wish to return to their homes to do so, and to provide stability for those who feel unable to return to their communities for fear of ongoing violence. The Agencies are also working with local communities to address issues of Gender-based violence, the impact of climate change, and providing education and working skills for young people.

We were particularly struck in our meetings with local officials, including the Governor of the Province who met us in Pemba, by the clear commitment of the authorities to a holistic approach to addressing the situation. They were keen to point out that this is not a ‘religious’ conflict per se, but that social and political inadequacies, especially for the majority young population who are unable to find work, have provided fertile ground for the fostering of extremism and conflict.

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We visited a Displaced Persons Camp in Chiure, a 4 hour (due to poor road conditions) 120km journey from Pemba, in an area not far from where the most recent attacks took place in February 2024. This camp is one of many in the area. Land is provided by local people for the refugees to set up a home and have a small plot for crops. Approaching along a dirt track, we passed the mud huts of homes built by displaced persons who had arrived a few years’ ago. Those who arrived in the last couple of weeks were living in tents provided by a number of Agencies. During our visit, it was good to see that members of the camp were meeting under a tree to discuss capacity-building initiatives to provide food security and develop the facilities. We were not asked for any ‘hand outs’. Rather, the emphasis is very much on empowering the local people, with the help of local people, to address the needs and provide lasting solutions.

The Methodist Church in Mozambique (which has been supported by the World Mission Fund of MCB) is a part of the Christian Council of the Cabo Delgado and has taken a lead in promoting dialogue and reconciliation and training local communities in peace-building and local empowerment. This work continues. The situation is fragile. With the peace-keeping force leaving the area in the summer, and a recent upsurge in violence, there are fears for what lies ahead. The urgency for continued multi-faceted holistic local solutions to addressing the many challenges that are faced, remain.

Dr. Andrew Ashdown.

Partnership Coordinator for Africa.

Global Relationships Team.

Methodist Church in Britain.

mozambique cabo del grado camp 1

mozambique cabo del grado camp 2

mozambique displaced persons residences

mozambique. cabo del grado meeting with governor

mozambique cabo del grado district administrator meeting

mozambique cabo del grado camp 3

mozambique cabo del grado christian council

mozambique cabo del grado methodist team

mozambique cabo del grado village