Government avoids question on exact amount of cyclone aid to Mozambique – report

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Government avoids question on exact amount of cyclone aid to Mozambique – report

4:01 CAT | 17 May 2019

The Mozambican government yesterday avoided a response in parliament on the exact amount of aid it had received in solidarity with the victims of cyclones Idai and Kenneth in the centre and north of the country.

The question about the amount of domestic and international aid received for cyclone victims was posed by the Mozambique National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition party, at the parliamentary session of questions to the government which ended yesterday.

Both Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário and State Administration Minister Carmelita Namashulua, who is in charge of humanitarian assistance, avoided giving a direct answer.

Carlos Agostinho do Rosario said that support for the victims of natural disasters had been managed transparently by the National Institute for Natural Disaster Management (INGC), in coordination with the World Food Program (WFP).

“The reception, management and distribution of donations is managed by INGC in coordination with WFP,” he said, adding that all humanitarian assistance operations by the government would be audited by an external entity.

The Minister of State Administration similarly avoided answering the question about the amount of aid received.

Cyclone Idai hit central Mozambique in March, causing 603 deaths and affecting about 1.5 million people, while Cyclone Kenneth, which struck the north of the country in April, killed 45 people and affected 250,000.

The Mozambican government announced this week that it would ask donors for US$3.2 billion (EUR 2.8 billion) to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by the two cyclones.