Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi announced on Wednesday evening that government earmarked 250 million meticais to support recovery efforts in the wake of the death and destruction meted out by Cyclone Freddy.
One of the longest-lasting tropical cyclones ever recorded since first making landfall in February in Madagascar and Mozambique, Cyclone Freddy returned to Mozambique via the central province of Zambezia, killing 53, displacing around 50,000 people, and destroying and damaging homes, 1,500 classrooms and 52 clinics, according to Nyusi.
Speaking on national television, President Nyusi said that the deaths were caused by drownings, electrocutions, fires, falling trees and walls. Furthermore, Freddy cut roads and power to some areas and further rain was rendering rescue efforts difficult.
Authorities fear that the death toll is likely to rise, as more bodies are being discovered.
What was interesting about Nyusi’s announcement of the earmarking of funds for the province, is that the money will be channelled through the provincial government – normally, disaster recovery efforts are managed by the National Disaster Management Institute (INGD).
However, INGD became embroiled in a financial mismanagement scandal resulting in the World Bank suspending in August 2022 its support for the Disaster Management Fund (FGC), which is run by the INGD. The suspension came about after the World Bank discovered that over 32.5 million meticais (about $508,000, at the current exchange rate) had been diverted from the fund for improper purposes in 2020.
The Bank warned that it would not resume its support until all the missing money was returned. No further announcement has been made on whether said money was eventually returned.
It is against this backdrop that Nyusi’s announcement should be understood. Perhaps the thinking is that side-lining INGD would be more palatable for the cooperation partners to provide support for disaster and relief assistance.
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