In the northern province of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique, at least 120 children have been kidnapped by the Human Rights Watch (HRW).
“In the north of Mozambique, at least 120 children have been kidnapped, some of whom are being forced into labor, used as soldiers or being married off,” says the statement.
According to HRW, the kidnapped children are often forced to carry stolen goods, while some are involved in armed conflicts as combatants.
The organization notes that incidents of attacking and kidnapping minors have increased in the last two months. Therefore, the Mozambican government is urged to intensify efforts to find the missing children and prevent new kidnappings.
On June 11, Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), who visited Cabo Delgado, called the humanitarian situation in northern Mozambique a "forgotten crisis."
"Climate change, the escalation of violence, and the intensification of hunger are having a disastrous impact on the population. Over 5 million people are at risk of dying from hunger, and more than 900,000 people are in desperate need of immediate aid," Egeland said.
According to NRC, more than 5 million people in the country are facing severe food insecurity, of whom 900,000 urgently require food aid.
Since 2017, the Mozambican government has been fighting against armed groups in the Cabo Delgado province. Despite assistance from Rwanda, South Africa, and other regional partners, officials have not been able to fully control the situation.
In 2020, militants carried out a series of brutal attacks, during which dozens of people, including children, were decapitated.
According to the UN, the conflict has forced more than 600,000 people to flee their homes. The violence has spread to neighboring provinces.
The humanitarian crisis is further exacerbated by the consequences of natural disasters - the province has been hit by several tropical cyclones.
Additionally, the situation is being significantly aggravated by the reduction in foreign aid coming from the USA.
