Africa-Press – Mozambique. Portugal, Belgium, Sweden and France yesterday expressed their willingness to strengthen the humanitarian response in Mozambique following the floods that hit the African country in January, which left 27 people dead and more than 720,000 affected.
“This is what we are here to do today, to once again demonstrate the value of solidarity, and we will never stop supporting Mozambique in good times, but also in bad times, which is when this support is most needed,” Portugal’s ambassador to Mozambique, Jorge Monteiro, told journalists in Maputo, on the sidelines of the official handover of humanitarian aid from four European countries, including Portugal.
The diplomat referred to the current flood situation also affecting Portugal, but noted that despite this, the European country mobilised 21 tonnes of goods to help Mozambique and will remain available whenever necessary.
France, which donated 10 tonnes of emergency supplies, considered that the support from these European countries “can make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable communities” when coordinated with local authorities, ensuring greater support for humanitarian response and resilience efforts in Mozambique.
“The French Red Cross is organising another major humanitarian aid expedition to Mozambique,” assured the French ambassador to Mozambique, Yann Pradeau.
The support delivered today in Mozambique includes tents and blankets sent by Sweden, which are expected to benefit approximately 1,400 people. According to Sweden’s ambassador, the aid demonstrates “strong Swedish solidarity” with the affected communities.
Belgium said that the current situation in Mozambique requires a “coordinated, solidary and rapid” response, as it announced the provision of a further 10 tonnes of humanitarian supplies.
“This is a concrete example of a coordinated Team Europe approach in supporting Mozambique in responding to these emergencies. So, as has already been said, we stand together and we stand alongside the partner, which is a long-standing partner,” declared Paul Jansen.
In total, 93 tonnes of goods were mobilised by these European Union (EU) member states and delivered to the Mozambican authorities to assist flood victims, as part of a joint effort.
On the occasion, Mozambique’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation praised the support arriving in the country from the very first day the local Government issued an appeal for assistance in response to the emergency.
“We have managed to secure a response, we heard that there was first an immediate response to address the situation that needed to be mitigated, and we are continuously receiving this support as crucial aspects are identified that need to be addressed according to needs on the ground,” said Maria Manso.
The official added that the Government is moving to follow reconstruction efforts aimed at restoring the social fabric and returning communities affected — which “lost everything” — to normality.
At the same event, the EU ambassador to Mozambique assured that the 27 member states are already working with Mozambican authorities on the country’s reconstruction following the floods.
The death toll from the January floods in Mozambique has risen to 27, with 724,131 people affected, according to the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGD), including 147 injured and nine missing, as well as 3,556 houses partially destroyed, 428 completely destroyed and 166,895 flooded. The update also reports that since 7 January, 227 health facilities and 299 schools, 14 bridges and 3,783 kilometres of road have been affected.
Since the start of the rainy season in October, including the January floods, a total of 201 deaths have been recorded, along with 291 injured and 852,019 people affected, according to INGD data.
Source: Lusa
