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Why IDPs in Mozambique are Rejecting Humanitarian Assistance: Catholic Charity

An IDP Camp in Mozambique. Credit: DHPI
Agnes Aineah

By Agnes Aineah

Cabo Delgado, 12 January, 2023 / 6:38 pm (ACI Africa).

People who have fled terror attacks in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province are shunning humanitarian assistance from the Mozambican government and other aid agencies, the Catholic charity foundation, Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI), has said.

According to the peace foundation, nearly 1,000 families that have settled in Niassa Province have refused to build houses on the plots that they have received from the government. Neither have they shown interest in farming on the plots of land given to them.

DHPI Director, Johan Viljoen, tells ACI Africa that the only thing that the internally displaced persons (IDPs) wish for is to return to their respective homes, and not to appear as though they have found a haven in Niassa.

In Niassa, Mr. Viljoen says, the IDPs do not feel as comfortable as they were back home in Cabo Delgado, and that they do not want to look like they have accepted their fate: the IDP status.

“The IDPs came from the coastal places where they had a different culture from that of the people living in the interior provinces,” Mr. Viljoen says in the Wednesday, January 11 interview with ACI Africa.

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He adds, “I can imagine their thoughts that once they accept houses, they have accepted their fate; to stay in Niassa permanently. They don't want that because Niassa is not a place they imagine to live and make a livelihood.”

The IDPs, the Director of the peace entity of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) says, relied on fishing and farming, and had other lifestyles typical to those of coastal residents before they fled inland to Niassa. 

Niassa, which is about 200 kilometers from the sea, is cold, dry, and has a very high altitude, he further says, and adds, “The place is not suitable for agriculture. These are some of the factors influencing their decision to want to go back and not to accept the houses that they are being offered.”

The delegate of the National Institute of Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) in Niassa, Friday Taibo, told DW that the attitude of the IDPs in Niassa Province has been going on for two years. 

The displaced are reportedly taken on trips to exchange experiences where they can see the conditions in which other displaced people are, with the idea of inspiring them to settle in the region as well. 

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The Governor of Niassa Province, Judite Massengele, has reportedly expressed her concern about the situation of the displaced people, claiming it is necessary for the population to be sensitized because, if the situation persists, the government will no longer be able to provide help.

Agnes Aineah

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.

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