Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo has cancelled his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos this week due to severe floods that have damaged infrastructure and affected hundreds of thousands of people in the Southern African country. Chapo stressed in a Facebook post that saving lives is the absolute priority amid this crisis. Heavy rains since mid-December have caused widespread flooding in Gaza, Maputo, and Sofala provinces.
President Daniel Chapo announced the cancellation of his attendance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, prioritizing the response to devastating floods ravaging Mozambique. In a late Sunday Facebook post, he wrote that the country "is going through a tough time ... (and) the absolute priority at this moment is to save lives".
According to a Sunday report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), heavy rains since mid-December have flooded Gaza, Maputo, and Sofala provinces, with several river basins above alert levels. Authorities estimate more than 400,000 people affected, with numbers expected to rise as rains continue.
Neighboring South Africa has deployed an air force helicopter to assist with search-and-rescue operations in Mozambique. The heavy rains have also impacted parts of South Africa, including the northeast where the renowned Kruger National Park is located; it reopened to day visitors on Monday after several days of closure.
Flooding has become more frequent and severe in southeastern Africa as climate change makes storms in the adjacent Indian Ocean more powerful. This crisis underscores the growing challenges the region faces in dealing with extreme weather events.
