Mozambique: Thousands displaced in 'silent war'

The government says everything’s fine, but that’s not what the victims say. Thousands of Mozambicans have been displaced by a silent war between the government and the main opposition party. In the central part of the country, thousands of people who have fled their homes from abuses and violence now live in camps or with relatives.

24-year-old farmer Titus Albaosui is one of the displaced persons, living in Vanduzi IDP camp, located in Manica province.

“At the end of the war, we could not live in our houses anymore. After 5 pm, we had to go to sleep in the forest, it was no longer possible to stay so we fled,” he says.

It has however been difficult to identify those responsible for these abuses: some accuse the army, others rebels, and they continue to live in constant fear. They say that since March secret death squads and execution units from both government and opposition have targeted civilians.

The conflict between the ruling Front for Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) and the opposing Mozambique Resistance Movement (RENAMO) has pushed the country’s civilian population in the crosshairs.

In fear for their lives, 12,000 Mozambicans have fled to neighboring Malawi since the mid 2015.