Mozambican authorities are intensifying community awareness to abandon areas prone to natural disasters, just over a month before the start of the new rainy season, a task hindered by the populations’ resistance.
“We are conducting awareness-raising, we are working with the people, we are working with the communities, with local leaders so that people leave the risk zones,” said Leovigildo Marcos, director of the Division of Coordination and Post-Disaster Reconstruction of the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD).
The official was speaking in Maputo on the sidelines of the National Forum on Housing, Land and Possession Security and Durable Solutions for Internal Displacement, organized by INGD in coordination with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), under the theme “Safe Land, Dignified Housing, Sustainable Future.”
Leovigildo Marcos acknowledged the difficulties of persuading populations to abandon dwellings built in flood-prone areas, considering it a permanent awareness-raising effort conducted jointly with communities and local leadership.
“The mentality of people is complicated,” he said, acknowledging the resistance found on the ground to removing families from areas deemed at risk.
The official recalled that Mozambique currently has around 663,000 internally displaced people due to natural disasters and armed conflicts, living in shelter centers, advocating concrete solutions to ensure the safety of these populations.
“We must all maximize our capacity to identify and implement concrete actions for the well-being of internally displaced people. The funding of these actions must be at the heart of our plans and work programs in all sectors that intervene in supporting displaced communities,” he added.
The United Nations resident coordinator in Mozambique, Catherine Sozi, advocated for coordinated work to respond to the needs of internally displaced people and create the conditions for a safe return to their areas of origin.
“We know there are challenges related to land ownership. We also know that, since land ownership is not something formally attributed to them, even having shelter or a house that won’t be destroyed next time poses a challenge. Therefore, let us seek solutions together to help people,” she said.
For the UN representative, this two-day forum is an opportunity to transform policies into action, learn from the experiences of different provinces and communities, and identify practical solutions that can be scaled up.
“The UN remains firmly committed to supporting the Government of Mozambique in turning the agenda of durable solutions into concrete results for all who live in this beautiful country. Count on the United Nations in this journey,” she added.
According to the latest regional report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mozambique had about 662,000 internally displaced people as of June 30, of whom 438,000 were due to conflict and violence and 224,000 as a result of natural disasters.
The country is the fifth in East and Southern Africa with the most internally displaced people, behind Sudan, with 8.7 million, Somalia (3.3 million), South Sudan (2 million) and Ethiopia (1.9 million).
