from ARMANDO DOMINGOS in Maputo, Mozambique
Mozambique Bureau
MAPUTO, (CAJ News) – MÉDECINS Sans Frontières (MSF – Doctors Without Borders) has temporarily suspended its operations in Mocímboa da Praia, the epicentre of Mozambique’s Islamist insurgency.
The move is to protect civilians, humanitarian workers and medical facilities amid escalating attacks in northern Cabo Delgado province.
“We are deeply concerned about the escalating violence and its direct impact on every aspect of people’s lives, including access to healthcare,” said Víctor García Leonor, MSF head of operations for Mozambique.
He noted that hundreds of thousands of people in Cabo Delgado urgently needed medical and humanitarian aid.
“But insecurity is continuously cutting them off from reaching it. This results in preventable deaths and suffering,” he added.
Since early September, armed men – mostly Islamists – have brutally killed and injured civilians in Mocímboa da Praia. Violence has also spread to other districts of Cabo Delgado and neighbouring provinces.
Throughout 2025, insecurity has forced MSF to suspend medical activities on several occasions across the province.
Mocímboa da Praia, with an estimated population of 150 000 to 200 000, was first attacked in October 2017 at the onset of the conflict.
– CAJ News