The African Union (AU) has approved support totalling 5.5 million dollars to mitigate the negative effects caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, which has already affected more than 125,000 people in Mozambique. According to a document mentioned by Lusa, the decision came after an assessment by the specialised agency African Risk Capacity (ARC).
The publication states that in order to meet the National Meteorological Institute’s seasonal forecasts for the 2023-24 agricultural campaign, the government signed ‘a drought insurance policy’ with ARC, totalling 2 million dollars.
‘It is also important to emphasise that the Executive continues to make efforts to ensure the replacement of infrastructure damaged by heavy rains, floods and terrorism in some districts of northern Cabo Delgado,’ he added.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of global climate change, facing cyclical flooding and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, from October to April.
El Niño is a change in atmospheric dynamics caused by an increase in ocean temperatures. The phenomenon has caused torrential rains in East Africa this year, with hundreds of deaths in countries such as Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, Somalia and Ethiopia.