UN appeals for more support for flood-hit Mozambicans

by AFP Staff Writers
Geneva (AFP) Jan 30, 2026
The United Nations warned Friday of severe overcrowding in temporary accommodation shelters hosting an estimated 100,000 people displaced by flooding in Mozambique, and appealed for more international support.

The southern African country's latest bout of flooding has claimed nearly 140 lives since October 1, according to the National Disasters Management Institute, while nearly 400,000 people have had to flee their homes.

"An estimated 100,000 people are now sheltering in around 100 temporary accommodation centres, including schools and public buildings. Overcrowding in these centres is severe," the UN refugee agency UNHCR, said in a statement.

"Many sites, particularly in remote areas, lack adequate privacy, lighting and basic services, creating dangerous conditions for the most vulnerable."

The UNHCR said women and girls were facing a heightened risk of violence, sexual exploitation and abuse. Many were distressed and needed support, it added.

Old people and those with disabilities struggled to get to help at sites "not designed to meet their needs", it said.

And as well as those in temporary shelters, many more remain stranded in the worst-affected areas, with access roads still under water and bridges washed away.

"This crisis underscores Mozambique's vulnerability," UNHCR said.

"With continued rainfall forecast and flood risks remaining high, further displacement is possible. Urgent international support is critical to scale up life-saving assistance and protection services."

UNHCR Mozambique is seeking $38.2 million in 2026.

The World Food Programme said it urgently needs $32 million for the next three months' operations, saying it was stepping up efforts to reach more than 450,000 people.

"The needs are skyrocketing in Mozambique," Ross Smith, WFP's emergency preparedness and response chief, told reporters in Geneva.

"We are currently very, very stretched for resources," he said, speaking from Rome.

"We're at 40 percent less funding than we were a year ago and that's really straining our ability to stand up a full scale response in places like Mozambique."

With roads badly damaged, WFP said it was using amphibious vehicles, boats, heavy-duty trucks, fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters to try to reach communities hit by the floods.

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