Actualité

𝐔𝐍 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝-𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐳𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞

Geneva, Switzerland

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Severe flooding in Mozambique has triggered a rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis that is already affecting more than half a million people, the United Nations warned on Tuesday.

“The number of victims continues to rise as the floods continue and dams release water to prevent them from bursting. The floods have caused significant damage and disrupted people’s lives,” said Paola Emerson, head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Mozambique.

Heavy rains and storms have been sporadically hitting Mozambique and neighboring South Africa, where they have killed at least 150 people since last October, according to authorities in those countries.

“The situation remains unstable and dangerous,” Emerson said during a press conference in Geneva.

Damage to roads and other infrastructure is making it difficult for humanitarian organizations to access the worst-affected areas, she added, speaking from Xai Xai, the capital of Gaza province in southern Mozambique, which has been hit hard.

Nearly 5,000 kilometers of roads have been damaged in nine provinces, including the main road linking the capital, Maputo, to the rest of the country, she said

A general view of remnants of the home, where a five year old boy was swept away following floods in Mbaula village, 50 km from Giyani on January 17, 2026 following heavy rains over much of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Heavy rains have drenched the northeast of the country since late last year, claiming at least 30 lives. (Photo by Paul Botes / AFP)

A general view of a damaged road on the way from Giyani to Mbaula on January 17, 2026 following heavy rains over much of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Heavy rains have drenched the northeast of the country since late last year, claiming at least 30 lives. (Photo by LUCAS LEDWABA / AFP)

More than 50,000 people are being housed in over 50 temporary shelters, which OCHA, which has launched an appeal for additional funds, is working to relieve.

“This flood emergency comes on top of the massive population displacement caused by the conflict in northern Mozambique, which has already depleted stocks,” explained Paola Emerson.

“This new disaster is a stark reminder of Mozambique’s vulnerability to multiple shocks: conflict, drought, cyclones in recent years and now severe flooding,” she insisted.

– Risk of crocodile intrusion –

Several rivers have burst their banks and flooded entire neighborhoods, creating the risk of crocodiles entering urban areas, particularly in Xai Xai, explained Ms. Emerson.

“The crocodiles present in the Limpopo River, in this case, are capable of entering urban or populated areas that are now submerged,” she said.

For his part, Guy Taylor, UNICEF spokesperson, stressed that this month’s exceptionally heavy rains had “truly triggered an emergency that is rapidly worsening in large parts of Mozambique, particularly in the south.”

“The floods we are seeing are not only destroying homes, schools, health centers, and roads, they are also making water unsafe” and turning “epidemics and malnutrition into a deadly threat to children.”

“The fact that Mozambique is entering its annual cyclone season raises the risk of a double crisis,” he warned, also from Xai Xai.

Search and rescue teams’ vehicles are parked next to a damaged structure following floods in Mbaula village, 50 km from Giyani on January 17, 2026 following heavy rains over much of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. A five year old boy is still missing after being swept away.
Heavy rains have drenched the northeast of the country since late last year, claiming at least 30 lives. (Photo by Paul Botes / AFP)

A general view of a teddie bear in a tub in front of a demaged house following floods in Mbaula village, 50 km from Giyani on January 17, 2026 following heavy rains over much of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Heavy rains have drenched the northeast of the country since late last year, claiming at least 30 lives. (Photo by Paul Botes / AFP)

A general view of a damaged house following floods in Mbaula village, 50 km from Giyani on January 17, 2026 following heavy rains over much of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Heavy rains have drenched the northeast of the country since late last year, claiming at least 30 lives. (Photo by Paul Botes / AFP)

A woman retrieves items from her garden following floods in Mbaula village, 50 km from Giyani on January 17, 2026 following heavy rains over much of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Heavy rains have drenched the northeast of the country since late last year, claiming at least 30 lives. (Photo by Paul Botes / AFP)

The spokesperson believes that the number of children affected is likely to “increase significantly” and that disruptions to food supplies and health services “risk plunging the most vulnerable children into a downward spiral.”

“What happens in the coming days will determine not only how many will survive this emergency, but also how many will be able to recover, return to school, and rebuild their futures,” he said.

Humaniterre with AFP