Responding to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in northern Mozambique, where over 700,000 people have been displaced due to conflict, Colm Brophy, T.D., Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and the Diaspora, today announced €2.6 million in Irish Aid support, including the delivery of emergency humanitarian supplies through the Irish Aid Rapid Response Initiative.
Minister Brophy said:
“I am deeply concerned by the deteriorating humanitarian situation in northern Mozambique. Over 700,000 people have now been displaced by the conflict in Cabo Delgado, and 1.3 million Mozambicans are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
“Today’s announcement of €2.6 million in Irish Aid support, including the delivery of emergency humanitarian supplies, will support a range of partners to alleviate the suffering of Mozambicans whose lives have been devastated by the conflict.
“Through our Embassy in Maputo, Ireland will continue to work with our international partners and with the Government of Mozambique to reduce suffering and work toward peace and recovery in northern Mozambique. We are committed to doing what is possible to make sure this does not become a forgotten crisis.”
ENDS
Press Office
12 May 2021
Note to Editors
- A violent insurgency has been underway in the province of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique since 2017. In the last year, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated significantly and over 700,000 have been internally displaced, with over 600,000 displaced in the last year alone. Currently, 1.3 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
- The €2.6 million in Irish Aid support announced today is being disbursed as follows: €600,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); €700,000 to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM); €600,000 to COSACA (an NGO consortium led by CARE and Save the Children); €200,000 to the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator; and €200,000 to the Provincial Government of Niassa.
- Ireland will also deliver 53 tonnes of emergency humanitarian supplies to IOM through the Irish Aid Rapid Response Initiative, valued at approximately €320,000. The Irish Aid Rapid Response Initiative pre-positions humanitarian relief supplies across the globe to be drawn upon in response to crises. These supplies will support the urgent needs of up to 4,200 families displaced by the conflict, providing them with essential items including materials for emergency shelters, mosquito nets and solar lamps.
- Ireland has also deployed two officers from the Irish Aid Rapid Response Corps to provide remote support to UN agencies in Mozambique. These rapid responders are providing support as Information Management Officers for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
- Ireland has a long history of partnership in Mozambique, which is the second largest recipient of Ireland’s bilateral overseas development aid, with a budget of €26 million in 2021. Through our Embassy in Maputo, Ireland has contributed significant humanitarian assistance in response to the conflict in Cabo Delgado.
- Ireland is also playing a key role in ensuring effective humanitarian coordination, as co-chair of the International Community Crisis Taskforce, through which Ireland is working with the Government of Mozambique to support effective prioritisation, civil protection, addressing key bottlenecks in humanitarian access, and planning efforts towards longer-term solutions.
