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MOZAMBIQUE-HEALTH-CHOLERA-UNREST-JIHADISTS
Cholera kills 55 people in northern Mozambique
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 24, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – A cholera outbreak has killed 55
people affected by a jihadist violence since the end of last year in northern
Mozambique, UNICEF said Wednesday.
Nearly 5,000 cases of cholera have been reported, especially among hundreds
of thousands of civilians living with host families and in makeshift
accommodation in camps for internally displaced people.
Last week saw the highest jump of more than new 400 cases, UNICEF spokesman
Daniel Timme told AFP.
“It doesn’t look good. The water and sanitation facilities are not
sufficient at the moment and need urgent upgrades,” he said.
“This is our absolute priority for now because the survivors of this
violence now have the threat of water-borne diseases,” he added.
Nearly 670,000 people have been uprooted since shadowy jihadists affiliated
with the Islamic State group began to wreak havoc in Mozambique’s gas-rich
but impoverished Cabo Delgado province in 2017.
One in 10 of those displaced have moved in with host families, according to
Timme, with some families taking in up to 40 people.
The government has now started to resettle the displaced people in newly
created villages in safe areas.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1856 hrs