from ARMANDO DOMINGOS in Maputo, Mozambique
MAPUTO, (CAJ News) – MOZAMBIQUE is battling cyclone recovery and lack of funding two years after Cyclone Idai left a trail of destruction.
Three cyclones have hit the country over the past two years, the most recent being Cyclone Eloise at the start of 2021.
According to the aid agency, CARE, over 104 000 people continue to live in resettlement sites and accommodation centres as a result of the Idai.
Cyclone Idai killed over 1 000 people and destroyed more than 100 000 homes.
In northern Mozambique, where Cyclone Kenneth hit in 2019, nearly 670 000 people are currently displaced.
Insecurity caused by Islamist groups continues to expand in scale, scope and complexity, pointing to potential further deterioration and additional displacement in 2021.
Marie David, Acting Assistant Country Director, CARE Mozambique, said much of the hard-won progress aid agencies had made over the past two years to help those affected by Idai had been destroyed once again over the last few months as a result of the cyclones.
In some cases, much of the infrastructure still had not been repaired from Idai, and clean drinking water remained a challenge, so people were already in a weak and vulnerable situation when Eloise struck.
In addition, floods have affected the ability of those who had been displaced to cultivate subsistence crops, which in turn has led to rising food insecurity.
“On top of all this, communicable disease outbreaks such as the most recent COVID-19 pandemic is causing complex and compounded disasters across the country,” David said.
Mozambique is vulnerable to future climate shocks.
The South Indian Ocean has seen an increase in the intensity of storms as a result of climate change.
– CAJ News