A Catholic bishop in Mozambique appealed for humanitarian assistance to feed hundreds of thousands of displaced people, following late-June attacks in the country’s northern province of Cabo Delgado.
He told Catholic News Service that people were receiving help from the World Food Program and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, but he estimated that more than 250,000 people were displaced.
In a statement, Bishop Luiz Lisboa of Pemba said that, in late June, a group of extremists had attacked the area, killing more than 1,000 people, burning local structures – including a Catholic school and church – and displacing hundreds of thousands of people, mostly women and children.
“We really need help,” he said. “First, we need prayers to stop the war and, secondly, humanitarian aid because the needs are many.
“We need all possible solidarity from inside Mozambique, outside Mozambique so that we can provide a minimum response to at least the primary needs of our brothers and sisters,” he said.
Picture: A man watches from a tree at the conclusion of Pope Francis’ interreligious meeting with young people at the Maxaquene Pavilion in Maputo, Mozambique, on 5th September 2019. Hundreds of thousands of Mozambicans remain displaced following late-June attacks. (CNS photo/Paul Haring).
