Nearly 400,000 people have been forced from their homes in southern Mozambique after severe flooding overwhelmed communities and pushed thousands into overcrowded school shelters, according to UNHCR.

Floodwaters have cut through southern Mozambique, submerging roads and damaging homes across Gaza province, where thousands of people are now taking refuge in makeshift shelters set up inside local schools.

UNHCR representative Xavier Creach said more than 800,000 people have been affected and “close to 400,000 people have been forcibly displaced”, calling it “another displacement crisis for Mozambique”.

He noted that 300,000 people were already uprooted by conflict last year, leaving the country facing two overlapping emergencies.

Creach said many families fled under “chaotic conditions”, some waiting for days on the roofs of their homes before being rescued. Inside the shelters, conditions remain dire, with “55 women sleeping in the same classroom with their children,” and basic services still missing.

He described the situation as heartbreaking, as many of those he met were living through their third displacement, having lost homes and crops repeatedly.

The World Weather Attribution group said climate change and La Niña contributed to the extreme rainfall, with some regions receiving more than a year’s worth in just days.

UNHCR has warned that assistance remains insufficient as more families continue to arrive in search of safety.

Copied