A new outbreak of unrest in northern Mozambique, scene of a jihadi insurgency, has forced thousands to flee their homes, according to United Nations figures and sources in Cabo Delgado province.
An alert from the U.N. migration agency IOM said recent attacks in the Macomia, Chiure and Mecufi districts had displaced 13,088 people, most of them children, by bus, canoe and on foot.
Mozambique's President Filipe Nyusi confirmed there had been new population movements but played down the threat and insisted security forces had the situation under control.
"There are a significant number of people who move from one area to another and complain about support," he said, after a meeting with military commanders.
"Terrorists try to recruit in this province, which is why we see these movements," he said.
A recent flight of people from the town of Ocua, he said, was a result of revenge attacks after Mozambican and Rwandan forces had thwarted an attempt to kidnap children.
"The last month recorded significant movements by non-state armed groups towards the southern districts of Cabo Delgado" a spokesperson from the U.N.'s refugee agency, UNHRC, told AFP.
"This wave of attacks has essentially been characterized by a high level of destruction, namely residences, churches and social infrastructures as schools and health centers."
Forces from Rwanda and countries of the Southern African Development Community, deployed to Mozambique in July 2021 after years of jihadi attacks.
They have helped the country retake lost territory in Cabo Delgado, but unrest continues.
One civil servant in Cabo Delgado confirmed to AFP that the situation had deteriorated. He spoke anonymously on government orders.
"It seems they have returned with great fury," he said, of the armed groups behind the attacks.
Tobias Miguel, a researcher following the crisis, said those displaced seem to be seeking refuge in the northern town of Pemba or crossing out of the province to neighboring Nampula.
"We have received reports that terrorists have stopped some cargo transport vehicles to demand monetary payments," he said.
The secretary of state for Nampula Province, Jaime Neto, confirmed that the National Institute for Disaster Management was seeking to open a transit center to accommodate displaced people.