UN says Mozambique needs more than US$200 million for drought victims

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UN says Mozambique needs more than US$200 million for drought victims

12:12 CAT | 20 Apr 2016

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The UN announced on Tuesday that it will help the Mozambican government to mobilize more than US$200 million (EUR 175.8 million ) in aid to support the 1.5 million people affected by drought in the southern and central regions of the country.

A statement from the UN resident coordinator’s office in Maputo sent to Lusa says that the organization will support Mozambique’s emergency response following the red alert declared by the government.

“The United Nations is working with the Mozambican government to ensure that the humanitarian needs of people affected by drought are met,” said Marcia de Castro, cited in the news release.

Many among those affected by the El Niño-related drought are children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women now presenting with severe malnutrition, particularly in the provinces of Sofala and Tete, central Mozambique the coordinator remarked.

As pointed out in the statement, the United Nations, in close coordination with the National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC), the Technical Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition, provincial governments and non-governmental organizations, is supporting the provision of food aid, agricultural support, water, sanitation and hygiene to the people affected.

Last week, the Mozambican government issued a 90-day red alert, signalling the immediate release of 360 million meticais (around US$7 million) in humanitarian assistance.

“The government will provide this aid immediately. Its partners are also urgently mobilizing resources to assist the population,” INGC director Joao Machatine said after a meeting of the body.

Source: Lusa