Torrential rains and high winds have compounded a dire humanitarian crisis in the southern African nation of Mozambique this year. Tropical Storm Ana and Tropical Depression Dumako hit the country in January and February respectively, causing widespread damage to fragile infrastructure and stressing capacity in already over-crowded and under-resourced displacement centres. These recent weather events once again highlight the disproportionately heavy price poorer nations pay for global climate change.

Cyclone Gombe, which hit Mozambique last month, brought with it 190km/h winds and 200mm of rainfall in 24 hours – an amount which some regions in the country see over an entire year. The unrelenting rain collapsed fragile homes, roads, and other key infrastructure. Local authorities erected 39 new temporary accommodation centres in the provinces of Zambezia, Nissa, and the capital city of Nampula to deal with the influx of displaced people.

According to the International Federation of the Red Cross, Cyclone Gombe has claimed the lives of 15 people and injured a further 50. Some 450,000 people have also been affected by the recent cyclone, a number which is likely to continue growing over the next few weeks and months.

In a recent report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (O.C.H.A.) noted that the recent downpour had cut off road access to some northern displacement centres such as Corrane, further restricting the flow of critical medicine, food, and other humanitarian supplies. O.C.H.A. also reports that weather conditions have destroyed large emergency tents at some displacement sites, raising worries for the health of their most vulnerable inhabitants.

Displacement centres already faced low access to basic medicine, drinkable water, food, and adequate shelter. These issues have led to a precarious and deteriorating public health situation in the hardest-hit regions. In 2021, for example, 55 people died of cholera caused by poor sanitation facilities and low access to healthcare in Cabo Delgado.

International humanitarian organizations have also raised concerns for the safety of children in these centres, particularly girls.

In addition to the tragic weather disasters, Mozambique has also been gripped by horrific civil violence since 2017. Fighting between the Al-Shabaab insurgency and the state has claimed the lives of an estimated 1,300 civilians since 2017, and according to Amnesty International, the armed conflict has forcibly displaced 530,000 people (1.4% of the population). Over the past two years, the number of internally displaced people in Mozambique has grown by about 2,700%, according to the Centro De Integridade Pública.

There have also been reports of torture, child abductions, and other ghastly violations of human rights. People have fled their homes under the credible threat of these violations being inflicted upon them or their families – often leaving with only the clothes on their backs. This violence, and the ensuing forced migration, have made fertile ground for further human suffering in the wake of climate change.

Back in 2020, in response to Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, Norway donated $853,000 for the United Nations Population Fund’s emergency response to Mozambique. The U.S. Agency for International Development’s total 2019 assistance investment in Mozambique was $288 million. Despite this financial support, it is clear that more foreign aid is desperately needed in Mozambique.