This archive report was first published on 25 May 2021.
Published on May 25, 2021, a report by AFP highlighted the plight of survivors of the Palma raid in northern Mozambique.
Julia Francisco, a 21-year-old mother, was forced to flee her home when IS-linked militants struck Palma on March 24. She was seven months pregnant at the time and gave birth to her daughter, Eliseth, on a fishing boat after eight days at sea.
Francisco's experience is not unique. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in the region, with many seeking safety in Pemba. The displaced speak of many people who want to leave Quitunda, a safe village near the heavily guarded gas plant, but are unable to afford the cost of a private fishing boat to Pemba, which can range from $50 to $80 per trip.
Back in Pemba, Francisco is still convalescing after giving birth. She walks slowly with a slight gait, drawing water, washing and drying her laundry on the grass outside the stadium. She has no idea where her mother, two sisters, and a brother are, and is anxiously checking her mobile phone for news from Palma.
Large swathes of northern Mozambique have been the target of jihadist attacks for the past three years, killing over 2,800 people and uprooting around 700,000 civilians from their homes. The latest bout of violence in Palma district has displaced nearly 57,000 people over the past eight weeks, according to the UN agency International Organization for Migration.
