UN allocates 6 mln USD for displaced people in Mozambique

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Wednesday allocated 6 million U.S. dollars for people displaced by violence in a northern Mozambique province, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher freed up aid from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help scale up life-saving support for 120,000 displaced people in Nampula province, OCHA said.

The UN Refugee Agency said that as of Tuesday, nearly 100,000 of them had fled their homes since mid-November when violence spread in the province.

"Children account for more than two thirds of those displaced, who are now sheltering in overcrowded schools, makeshift structures, open spaces, or with already vulnerable host families," OCHA said. "Besides shelter, they also have limited access to safe water, protection, healthcare and sanitation services -- at a time cholera is spreading in some areas."

The office said that stocks of critical aid have mostly depleted, and the CERF funding will prioritize water, sanitation and hygiene support, basic household items, as well as shelter, protection and livelihood support for people in the Erati and Memba districts.

OCHA said the 2025 humanitarian response plan for Mozambique is less than 28 percent funded as the year draws to an end. ■