The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is scaling up its emergency response in Mozambique as severe flooding continues to displace communities across the country, expanding life-saving assistance and strengthening nationwide displacement tracking, coordination, and protection efforts.
"As floods force thousands from their homes, IOM is working alongside the Government and humanitarian actors to track displacement, improve conditions in accommodation centres and deliver life‑saving support to those most at risk," said Laura Tomm-Bonde, IOM Chief of Mission in Mozambique. "Additional resources are urgently needed now to help us expand our reach to the hardest‑hit areas, where needs are rapidly increasing."
Weeks of heavy rainfall have triggered widespread flooding in southern and central Mozambique, forcing families from their homes, submerging entire neighbourhoods and overwhelming local infrastructure as rivers continue to overflow.
According to data from IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), over 600,000 people have been affected in Maputo and the provinces of Gaza, Inhambane, Sofala and Zambézia. More than 73,600 people are currently displaced in 71 accommodation centres nationwide, with numbers continuing to rise daily. Gaza Province is the hardest hit, with significant concentrations of displaced people in Chiaquelene and Xilembene hosting 54,845 people.
Displaced communities are facing acute shortages of shelter and essential household items, water, sanitation and hygiene, food, health services and protection support as accommodation centres become increasingly overcrowded.
As part of the emergency response, IOM is delivering regularly updated displacement data through DTM to the National Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (INGD) and humanitarian partners, helping better target assistance where it is most needed. IOM teams are working across priority locations to improve conditions in accommodation centres, strengthen coordination, and ensure the protection of those most at risk.
On 16 January, the Government declared a nationwide Red Alert and has since formally appealed for international and United Nations support, including air assistance for search and rescue, logistical and technical assistance, and life‑saving supplies. Humanitarian partners are currently mobilizing resources alongside INGD to respond to rapidly growing needs.
As Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster lead, IOM maintains nationwide operational coverage and is deploying teams in Gaza Province to support the response with authorities and partners, prioritizing site management, community engagement, and protection referrals.
Health, water and sanitation, and protection teams are being mobilized to ease pressure on overcrowded accommodation centres, improve basic services, and support the safety and dignity of displaced families. With rivers overflowing, roads cut off and accommodation centres stretched beyond their limits, needs are rapidly outpacing resources.
Immediate funding and in‑kind contributions are urgently required to help track displacement, improve living conditions in overcrowded accommodation centres, deliver essential relief items and dignity kits, and strengthen protection services, including safe ways for people to report concerns.
