Tanzania delivers 500 tonnes of maize to support flood victims in Mozambique

Tanzania yesterday delivered 500 tonnes of maize to assist flood victims in Mozambique, expressing its willingness to continue supporting the “brotherly people” affected by floods that have already claimed 298 lives. “We have brought the final consignment of maize to assist our dear brothers and sisters in Mozambique (…) we have delivered the full support of 500 tonnes to Mozambique,” the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania, Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, told journalists. Speaking in Maputo after a meeting with Mozambique’s Prime Minister, Maria Benvinda Levi, the Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation explained that his visit aimed to provide assistance and express Tanzania’s readiness to support flood victims, assuring that the two governments will remain in communication to “keep the flame of the relationship” of historic friendship alive.

“The United Republic of Tanzania is ready and open to support our brothers and sisters in Mozambique,” said Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, recalling that Mozambique “is not just a friend, not just a neighbour, it is a brother”, and that the two countries are linked by an “umbilical cord” rooted in the history of the founders of their liberation movements. For his part, Mozambique’s Minister of Planning and Development, Salim Valá, said the support would help in recovering from the damage caused by the floods, which have affected almost the entire country, with severe impact on agricultural fields. The Tanzanian minister said the two governments had expressed interest in strengthening economic cooperation, noting that “political cooperation has already existed for 65 years”, since the country’s independence.

“We discussed strengthening our peoples through joint economic trade and duty-free interaction between the two countries,” he said, adding that, as soon as possible, an agreement will be signed with the ministry responsible for finance, planning and economic investment of the United Republic of Tanzania. The Mozambican government yesterday estimated that US$1.6 billion (€1.382 billion) will be needed to implement the recovery and reconstruction plan following the floods. READ:Mozambique: Post-flood recovery plan budget at 1.6 billion dollars According to data from the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD), updated by the end of Monday, two more deaths were recorded in about 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 298 in the current rainy season — which runs until the end of April.

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A total of 1,024,390 people have been affected (an increase of 10,000 compared with the previous report), corresponding to 233,998 families. There are also 17 people missing and 351 injured. In total, 21,719 houses were partially destroyed, 10,236 completely destroyed, and 206,379 flooded.

Additionally, 304 health units, 104 places of worship and 724 schools have been affected in less than six months. The same data indicate that 267,438 hectares of agricultural land were lost, affecting 355,070 farmers, while 531,068 animals — including cattle, goats and poultry — died. Since October, the INGD has activated 195 accommodation centres, which have housed up to 139,284 people.

Of these, 64 remain active (around 50 more than in the previous week due to recent flooding), accommodating at least 30,954 people. A further 7,214 people have been rescued.

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