In October 2017, a series of insurgent attacks in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province sparked a conflict that has displaced over 600.000 people. Franciscans initially responded to crisis by setting up support structures for the waves of internally displaced persons (IDPs), trying to address the lack of food, water, housing, education, and the pravalence of trauma among those escaping the violence.
Since then, the fighting between poorly trained Mozambican forces and insurgents has transformed into a protracted, low intensity conflict with no immediate end in sight. Aside from sporadic attacks against communities perpetrated by insurgents, an increasing number of human rights violations committed by government forces without accountability have shattered the trust those they are meant to protect. The conflict is not only fueled by the presence of natural gas, oil, and other natural resources, but also a shift in local dynamics, where communities do not benefit economically from the activities of transnational. Instead, local artisan laborers have been driven from their regular activities, further increasing tensions in a province that has long been marginalized politically, socially, and economically.
Franciscans International recently traveled to Mozambique where we visited the Corane IDP camp and met with community leaders, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders. We also used the opportunity to provide a human rights workshop ahead of Mozambique’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Bringing together different branches of the Franciscan family, the training covered a range of issues including documentation and strategies to strengthen existing networks and addressing the changing role of Franciscans responding to the conflict.
Since FI’s previous visit in 2022, shrinking civic space in Mozambique has severely hampered independent monitoring and reporting, with media outlets barred from visiting Cabo Delgado. The limited presence of government institutions, including the judiciary, due to the conflict further impedes access to reliable information. Amid dwindling international humanitarian support, the Franciscans and other church networks are among the few that can provide support and document human rights violations.
In the next few months, FI will work closely with Franciscans brothers and sisters in Mozambique as they prepare a submission for the UPR, a UN mechanism through which the human rights records of all Member States are examined on a rotating basis. Their report will include key observations and recommendations on business and human rights, the situation of internally displaced people and the security situation in Cabo Delgado. FI is also preparing a new report on the situation, which is expected to be published at the end of 2025.