20. Climate Security in Africa: Implications for Displacement and Conflict in Northern Mozambique

Climate change is contributing to the displacement of people and contributing to conflicts in Africa. This chapter uses the example of host communities and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nampula province in Mozambique to show how climate-related displacements contribute to conflict, instability, and insecurity. Climate change is a critical variable in emergent conflicts in various ways. The cyclones and extreme weather conditions that have hit Cabo Delgado have contributed to population displacements, which have ramifications for peace and security. Secondly, insurgents in Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique capitalize on resource shortages triggered by climate change to recruit members and control the region. Thirdly, IDPs compete and clash with host communities over natural resources, which have become scarce due to climate change impacts, especially decreased food production. The chapter thus shows that peace and security challenges in Africa have transcended traditional forms of security within the military domain to incorporate climate-related security risks. Furthermore, the chapter shows that the climate-related economic dependency nexus does not take place in a vacuum but within a context of colonial legacies and the exclusion of affected communities’ traditional knowledge, culture, religion, and skills by development and humanitarian actors. Addressing climate-induced displacements and related conflicts requires a decolonial lens that paves the way for inclusive, effective, and sustainable interventions informed by traditional knowledges and sensibilities.