Since 2017, northern Mozambique has been gripped by an escalating conflict, with Cabo Delgado province at its epicentre. Armed insurgents have attacked rural villages, killed thousands, and displaced close to one million people – most of them women and children.
Behind the headlines lies a quiet crisis: the devastating toll of war on rural women.
“They surrounded the village…”
Attacks often come without warning. Fátima Castro, a nurse from Ocua, described the terror of an insurgent raid in early 2024:
“Cercaram a aldeia, vindos de vários sítios e voltaram a queimar capelas, extorquiram dinheiro, decapitaram pessoas… Os dias seguintes foram de silêncio e dor.”
“They surrounded the village, coming from different directions. They burned churches again, extorted money, decapitated people… The days that followed were silent and full of pain.”
In many areas, men are killed or forcibly recruited. Women are left to flee with children on their backs, often walking for days without food or shelter. Many arrive in displacement camps deeply traumatised.
Violence Doesn’t End at the Camps
Muanassa Alberto, a women’s rights activist who fled Palma, speaks of the suffering women face even after reaching safety:
“As mulheres e raparigas sofrem durante o conflito. São violadas e usadas, e nas zonas de reassentamento vivem situações complicadas para obter o sustento.”
“Women and girls suffer during the conflict. They are raped and used, and in the resettlement areas they live in very difficult conditions trying to earn a living.”
Camps are overcrowded and under-resourced. Food is limited. Water is scarce. Unaccompanied girls are at high risk of sexual violence, and some women report being abused by partners or strangers within the camp itself.
There is very little access to mental health care, despite the psychological scars. Muanassa adds:
“Por mês estamos a perder cinco a sete senhoras… é porque perderam tudo, têm traumas.”
“Each month, we are losing five to seven women… it’s because they lost everything and carry deep trauma.”
Rural Women Have Lost More Than Homes
Before the war, women in Cabo Delgado supported their families by farming, fishing, selling goods at markets. Now, their land is unsafe. Their tools are gone. And their crops are destroyed. In many displacement camps, women are completely dependent on humanitarian aid, which is never enough.
“We need more food. There is no land to cultivate here, which is hard for me,” said one displaced farmer.
Another added: “I used to grow cassava and maize to feed my children. Now I wait in line for hours just to get a cup of rice.”
Girls’ Education in Jeopardy
In conflict zones like Muidumbe and Macomia, most schools have closed. Teachers have fled. Classrooms have been burned or turned into military bases. This has hit rural girls the hardest.
Many have dropped out completely, forced to marry early or care for younger siblings. Others are too traumatised to return.
A 16-year-old girl in Nampula said:
“Fugi sem documento e não consigo inscrever-me na escola.”
“I fled without my documents and I can’t register for school.”
Without urgent action, an entire generation of rural girls may never return to education.
But Women Are Fighting Back
Despite everything, rural women are leading survival efforts in the camps. They form sewing collectives, start small gardens, and help new arrivals find shelter. Some, like Muanassa, have become activists and healers in their communities.
One woman who joined a psychosocial support group said:
“Tive muita vergonha antes de falar e buscar apoio, mas acredito que todas nós passámos por isso por sermos mulheres.”
“I felt ashamed before speaking and seeking help, but I believe we all went through this because we are women.”
Their bravery shows that rural women are not just victims — they are leaders, organisers, and protectors, even in the worst of times.
Sources: The information and testimonies in this article are drawn from reports by humanitarian organizations, media, and first-hand accounts, including UN agencies and NGOs working in Mozambique (Mozambican bishop recalls “seven years of death and suffering” in Cabo Delgado | ACN International) ([PDF] 2023-HAC-Mozambique.pdf – UNICEF.org) (Hungry, harassed and alone: Cabo Delgado’s refugee women – in pictures | Global development | The Guardian) (Displaced people in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado plead for peace | UNHCR Africa) (Mulheres e raparigas, as principais vítimas do conflito em Cabo Delgado) (Mulheres e raparigas, as principais vítimas do conflito em Cabo Delgado) (Mulheres e raparigas, as principais vítimas do conflito em Cabo Delgado) (MOÇAMBIQUE: Memórias de 7 anos de terror em Cabo Delgado – Fundação AIS) () (Displaced people in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado plead for peace | UNHCR Africa) (7 years into the conflict, solutions to displacement in Cabo Delgado remain elusive | IDMC – Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre), as well as personal stories shared by affected women (with translations from the original Portuguese). Each quote from survivors is presented in Portuguese with an English translation to honor their voice while making their experiences accessible to international readers.
