Unrest in Mozambique Displaces Thousands
07/15/2021 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Human rights groups and relief organization are raising the alarm over an escalating security situation in east Africa’s Mozambique. The violence is driven by a terrorist group calling itself Al-Shabab. It seems to be loosely affiliated with Islamic State, though the connection is somewhat tenuous.
As the violence spreads, thousands are fleeing including across the border to Tanzania. Boris Cheshirkov, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), highlighted their dire situation in a statement earlier this year.
“UNHCR is alarmed at reports that Mozambicans have been refouled, forcibly returned, and prevented from seeking asylum,” he said referencing a foundational concept of international law that disallows the practice of endangering refugees by sending them back to their home country.