Subject: Humanitarian situation in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique
Since 2017, the Province of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique has seen repeated attacks by armed insurgent groups, with local populations suffering the most atrocious forms of violence. Such attacks have led to the destruction of villages, houses, schools, hospitals, farms and places of worship of various religions, forcing the inhabitants to flee under appalling circumstances. To escape the attacks, the populations take refuge in the bush and walk hundreds of kilometres, without water or food, until they find a safe place. In the last four years, thousands of innocent people have been killed and more than 800 000 people, to a large extent children, are now internally displaced, living in provisional and improvised resettlement centres, without the basic necessities of life, and in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
In view of the humanitarian disaster in Cabo Delgado, we would like to ask:
What steps has the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy taken, or is planning to take in the near future, and what funds have been or could be allocated to provide humanitarian and emergency aid to the affected people in this region in northern Mozambique?
Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Borrell i Fontelles on behalf of the European Commission (10 November 2022)
The EU is implementing an integrated approach to respond to the multi-dimensional needs of the populations affected by the ongoing violence and to address the root causes of the Cabo Delgado crisis. The integrated approach sets out humanitarian, development, peace-building and security actions.
Under this approach, the EU has contributed over EUR 44 million of humanitarian assistance to the Cabo Delgado crisis since 2021.
This amount includes EUR 8.25 million for humanitarian food assistance and last-mile delivery of aid in northern Mozambique to respond to the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (1). In addition, EU development funding contributed EUR 15 million to boost food production in Mozambique (2).
EU’s humanitarian assistance is targeting the most vulnerable people affected by the armed violence including children, internally displaced people and host communities. Notably, it includes access to food, water and sanitation, health, nutrition services and education in emergencies.
The EU is also providing key protection services to victims, in particular of sexual and gender-based violence and child abuse. Support for disaster preparedness is also key in a region exposed to recurrent climate shocks.
Support has also been provided to people severely affected by the tropical storm Ana and cyclone Gombe, which hit northern Mozambique in early 2022.
Moreover, the EU has supported the rollout of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and co-financed the EU ‘Humanitarian Air Bridge’ (3) consisting of three flights in July 2021 delivering 20 tonnes of humanitarian cargo from Member States and partner organisations.
EU response to the Cabo Delgado crisis will remain priority in the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region for humanitarian funding also in 2023.
⋅1∙ Decision C(2022) 6535 final.
⋅2∙ Decision C(2022) 6554 final.
⋅3∙ https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/humanitarian-aid/eu-humanitarian-air-bridge_en