The European Union on Monday delivered 88 tonnes of humanitarian aid for Mozambique’s flood victims, with a second cargo plane carrying more emergency supplies expected to arrive within days.
The move followed the delivery of an initial 88‑tonne shipment of EU‑funded aid that landed in Maputo on Monday.
EU Ambassador Antonino Maggiore said the supplies that arrived on Monday, valued at US$552,000 included materials for health, water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, education and child protection, as well as tents to be used to create “safe spaces for children”, temporary health clinics and other essential services in the areas most affected by the floods.
He said the goods – to be distributed by UNICEF – are expected to benefit directly or indirectly between 30,000 and 50,000 people, “many of them children facing conditions of great vulnerability.”
Maggiore said the upcoming shipment would support an additional 20,000 people, adding to the 30,000–50,000 expected to benefit from Monday’s consignment.
“We are also coordinating with member states… in terms of managing priorities in the water sector. And… we are in contact with Brussels for the arrival of specialists,” he added as he handed over the supplies to Mozambique’s Foreign Minister Maria Manuela Lucas.
Mozambique is facing one of its worst flood emergencies in recent memory.
Torrential rains since early January have inundated more than 150,000 homes and damaged nearly 230 health facilities and over 360 schools, according to the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD).
Updated INGD figures show 652,189 people affected in less than three weeks, with 3,445 houses partially destroyed, 767 completely destroyed, and more than 153,000 flooded.
At least 45 people have been injured, four are missing, and hundreds of families remain stranded awaiting rescue.
Since the rainy season began in October 2025, 131 deaths and 779,528 affected people have been recorded, prompting the government to declare a national red alert.
Nearly 100 accommodation centres are currently sheltering close to 100,000 displaced residents.
Meanwhile, the United States also announced US$1 million in additional support on Monday, saying it is working closely with Mozambican authorities to protect affected communities and assist ongoing rescue efforts.
JN/APA