Mozambique is battling one of its worst flooding disasters in years. Heavy rains have submerged vast areas, displaced hundreds of thousands, and destroyed critical infrastructure.
Since early January 2026, Maputo, Gaza, and Sofala provinces have faced severe flooding. So far, more than 500,000 people are affected, and over 100 deaths have been reported nationwide since October 2025.
The floods have caused massive damage to roads, bridges, and health facilities, leaving supply chains in chaos. 
As a result, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued urgent warnings about children, who are most at risk from the floods. Factors like unsafe water, disrupted food supplies, and rising malnutrition could prove deadly to them.
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Guy Taylor, UNICEF Chief of Communication in Mozambique, explained:
“This disruption to food, health services, and care practices threatens to push vulnerable children into a dangerous spiral. With cyclone season starting, we risk a double crisis.”
Taylor also noted that 90% of Mozambicans live in adobe houses, which often collapse after heavy rain, leaving families exposed.
National Emergency Declared
The Mozambican government has declared a national emergency and set up an emergency operations centre in Gaza Province. Evacuations are ongoing in Xai-Xai, the provincial capital, where rising rivers have forced residents from their homes and allowed crocodiles to enter urban areas.
The United Nations (UN) is also coordinating relief efforts, providing emergency food, shelter, and medical supplies.
Meanwhile, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has praised Mozambique’s early warning systems, which likely prevented even greater loss of life.
With tens of thousands displaced and infrastructure destroyed, urgent action is needed to protect vulnerable communities, especially children, from disease, malnutrition, and future extreme weather events.
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