At least 30,000 people have fled the town of Palma in northern Mozambique following attacks that killed dozens of people last month, United Nations Humanitarian Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), has said.
UNHCR said on Friday that about 30,000 people fled Palma since the ISIL (ISIS)-linked terrorists raided the coastal town on March 24.
About 2,600 have been killed and 700,00 people displaced in the crisis since three years ago when the Islamic fighters sought to establish a caliphate, according to the US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project and the UNHCR.
“We’re deeply concerned by the humanitarian consequences of the rapid escalation of violence…the safety and wellbeing of the most vulnerable among the displaced, including women and children,” says UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch.
Reports said the raids last month were more intensive since the violence broke out three years ago in Cabo Delgado province.
The violence has pushed oil exploration company France Total to suspend work on a nearby multibillion-dollar gas project.
The violence has also affected hundreds of children who have been traumatised and exhausted after being separated from their families.
