About 250,000 children displaced by the activity of a jihadist group in Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique are facing the risk of disease outbreaks with the onset of the rainy season, according to the United Nations Children´s Fund (UNICEF).
About 2,400 people, more than half of them civilians, have been killed since October 2017, when a jihadist group, little known about, launched its campaign in the oil-rich province, according to a tally prepared by the American non-governmental organization ACLED.
The government estimates that 570,000 people have fled their homes.
"In less than two years, children and families in Cabo Delgado have faced a hurricane, floods, drought, economic and social hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in a statement issued late Tuesday.
She added, with the conditions in the governorate deteriorating further, especially with the onset of the rainy season, the water, sanitation and healthcare systems are under increasing pressure.
UNICEF pointed to the danger of diarrhea, which is easy to treat and prevent, but which may kill children if left untreated.
The statement stated that two out of five children in the northern governorate suffer mainly from chronic malnutrition, and more cases of severe malnutrition are being detected among the displaced.
UNICEF is asking for 52.8 million dollars (43.3 million euros) to meet the most urgent needs in Mozambique in 2021, with 30 million dollars of it allocated to Cabo Delgado.
