Cholera kills 55 people in northern Mozambique

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.

© 2021 AFP