The Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Ana Xavier, announced on Friday, January 30, that more humanitarian aid will arrive in February for the victims of the recent floods in Mozambique, which have affected over 700,000 people.
“At the beginning of February, a humanitarian airlift is planned which, in coordination with the European Union, will bring 400 hygiene kits, 125 kitchen kits, and 15 tents,” Ana Xavier told journalists, following the reception of an aircraft carrying 36 military personnel who will assist in the rescue operations for the flood victims in the African country.
According to the minister, the aid arriving next month is based on needs identified on the ground by Civil Society Organizations in Portugal, the Portuguese Red Cross, and the National Civil Protection Authority. The operation also involves the Aga Khan organization and the European Union (EU), ensuring that the support complements two other previously announced initiatives for Mozambique.
“This is therefore comprehensive support, which will be further reinforced, as I mentioned, very soon, at the beginning of February, when two experts from the Portuguese National Laboratory for Civil Engineering will also be deployed,” she added.
On Wednesday, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation expressed Portugal’s solidarity with Mozambique in Maputo, in light of the floods, at a time when Portugal itself was also affected by bad weather, the minister acknowledged. “Once again, the Portuguese Government, despite also being engaged in managing the recent adverse weather in our own country, is committed to Mozambique and always on the side of the Mozambicans,” she assured.
On the occasion, the Mozambican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation thanked Portugal for its support to Mozambique, recognizing that the country is “in an emergency phase,” and also noted that further aid may come from the United Arab Emirates, Germany, and Rwanda.
Lusa reported on Tuesday (26) that the aid from Portugal to Mozambique includes a contingent of 36 military personnel, who arrived in the country on Friday, which could be increased to a maximum of 100 members of the Immediate Reaction Force (FRI), with various capabilities, experts, equipment, and €300,000, according to the Portuguese Prime Minister’s Office.
An additional €300,000 will be provided through Camões – Institute for Cooperation and Language, a previously announced fund that will support the humanitarian response, under coordination by the United Nations/OCHA.
The Aga Khan organization announced on Wednesday that it had collected around 20 tons of essential goods in Lisbon to send to Mozambique, due to the floods that have affected the country since October.
Maputo and Gaza continue to face severe flooding
Since the beginning of the rainy season in October, including the recent weeks of flooding, there have been 146 deaths, 148 injuries, and 820,984 people affected, according to data from INGD.
Rescue actions and attempts to assist families trapped by the floods continue, particularly in Maputo and Gaza, southern Mozambique, due to heavy rains over several days, which have forced dams, including those in neighboring countries, to release water due to insufficient capacity.
The European Union, the United States, Portugal, Angola, Spain, Timor-Leste, Norway, and Japan, as well as neighboring countries, have already sent emergency humanitarian aid.
More than a dozen aerial units are involved in the rescue operations, including from South Africa, as well as private boats and the Navy.
Source: Diário Económico
