Thousands displaced by Mozambique violence

Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes following attacks in Mozambique, and the number is continuing to rise, the United Nations has warned.

According to the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) almost 700,000 people, mainly women and children, have become displaced since October 2017 when armed groups began carrying out violent attacks in the northern regions of the country.

Violence escalated in March as armed groups fought the Mozambican army for control of the strategic northern town of Palma.

Around 19,000 people have fled the town for the nearby settlements of Nangade, Mueda, Montepuez and Pemba, the UN has said, and measures are being put in place to receive more arrivals over the coming days.

Within the next two months, the total number of displaced people in Mozambique could surpass one million if the violence continues, the UN has warned.

Abdalla Mussa, a UN refugee protection officer in Pemba, said many people were arriving "traumatized and in difficult situations".

The battle for Palma highlights the military and humanitarian crisis in this Southern African nation on the Indian Ocean.

The three-year insurgency of the rebels, who are primarily disaffected young Muslim men, in the northern Cabo Delgado province has left more than 2,600 people dead.