Thursday, April 3, 2025

Hunger Looms in Mozambique’s North as Funds Dry Up

Antonella D’Aprile, World Food Programme’s (WFP’s) Country Director in Mozambique has said that the United Nations WFP is today warning that it will be forced to suspend its life-saving assistance to one million people in Mozambique, (at the peak of the hunger season in February), unless additional funding is urgently received.

She said that Cabo Delgado is the most food insecure province in Mozambique and food security continues to deteriorate.
She then explained that, nearly 1.15 million people in the province are suffering “crisis” or “emergency” hunger, and latest data indicates the situation may deteriorate even further.

According to her, violence has intensified in recent months, with unprecedented attacks in districts close to its capital, Pemba and in neighbouring Nampula province, forcing more and more people to flee their villages. The number of displaced people has quadrupled to nearly one million people in the last two years.

However, she said, notwithstanding the widespread violence, WFP has been providing emergency assistance to one million displaced people – including in previously inaccessible areas such as Macomia, Muidumbe, Nangade, Palma, and Quissanga but has had to cut rations in recent months.

READ MORE: Unrest Threatens Young Lives in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Antonella pointed out that, while striving to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, WFP is also working to scale up resilience-building activities among vulnerable communities, supporting 44,000 people in recovering land and production in Cabo Delgado. And WFP is also providing nutrition supplements to prevent and treat malnutrition among children under the age of 5, pregnant and nursing women.

She explained further that, in most remote areas of the north, the WFP-run UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS)a is the only air service available for aid workers. In December 2020, following escalation of violence and the COVID-19 pandemic, WFP opened an airbridge connecting inaccessible areas in the north. The air service has since transported over 10,000 humanitarian personnel and 70,000 kg of humanitarian cargo; and carried out over 330 security relocations.

Thus, WFP’s funding situation has been worrisome for some time, and we are now running out of options and all these activities are at risk.

She stressed that, in addition to challenges to funding its food assistance operations, WFP is faced with funding shortfalls for the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) that it runs on behalf of the entire humanitarian community.

READ MORE: Africa Renewable Energy Investment at 11-year Low, says research statement

Accordingly, WFP requires US$ 51 million to continue delivering life-saving assistance to one million people and provide much-needed services.

It was also revealed that, while appealing to donors for urgent funding, WFP will strive to maintain life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable groups — such as those most undernourished, malnourished children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers — but there are many whom we might not be able to assist – unless additional funding is received urgently.

The United Nations World Food Programme is said to be the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

Hot this week

WAG Urges Women To Strategise For Greater Representation In Governance

Founder Women Aligned for Growth (WAG), Dr. Ifeyinwa Nwakwesi...

Stark Pages Initiative Launches Literary Students Program to Inspire Young Writers

The Stark Pages Creative and Literary Arts Initiative, a...

Ozoya Football Foundation Kicks Off a New Era with Charitable Initiative in Edo State

The Ozoya Football Foundation is making waves in Nigerian...

After Two Years of War, Sudan’s Military Secures Key Victory in Khartoum

Sudan’s military has recaptured the Republican Palace in the...

29 Internet Fraudsters Jailed in Benin as Nigeria Deepens Cybercrime Crackdown

Justice has caught up with 29 internet fraudsters in...

Fuel Prices Set to Rise in Nigeria as Dangote Refinery Halts Naira Sales

Nigerians could soon face higher fuel prices after the...

Related Articles

Popular Categories