Mozambique floods drive over half a million into aid need and threaten food security for 250,000

Severe floods that began in late December 2025 swept across southern and central Mozambique, inundating provinces such as Gaza, Maputo, Inhambane, Sofala and Zambezia. The disaster affected more than 724,000 people, destroying homes, health facilities, water systems and farmland. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), humanitarian assistance reached about 516,000 people, including food for 377,000, water‑sanitation‑hygiene support for 284,000 and shelter for 144,000. Funding remains far short of needs, with only US$36 million of the US$187 million required secured so far.

The floods also damaged roughly 275,000 hectares of farmland, threatening the livelihoods of over 314,000 farmers and driving up food prices. In Sofala province, authorities are pre‑positioning food for at least 250,000 people vulnerable to an upcoming El Niño‑related drought, distributing 150 tonnes of supplies and seeds to districts such as Búzi, Nhamatanda, Muanza and Dondo. Individual accounts, like that of 50‑year‑old farmer Joacim Pinto, illustrate the shift from flood loss to looming hunger.

UN agencies, including the World Food Programme, continue to provide nutrition assistance while urging additional financing to meet the growing humanitarian gap.