Rabat – After Mozambique launched an international call for emergency aid following the deadly Cyclone Idai on March 14-15, Morocco sent 93 tons aid which landed on Sunday.
Abdelali Rahali, the Moroccan ambassador in Maputo, Mozambique, received the aid yesterday from the Royal Armed Forces (FAR).
FAR delivered 200 tents, 2,000 blankets, and foodstuffs, according to the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
On the occasion, the Mozambican minister of agriculture and food security, Higino De Marule, thanked King Mohammed VI for his humanitarian gesture in a time of need, expressing that his country was “not surprised by the gesture because the Moroccan and Mozambican people are united.”
De Marule emphasized that the Mozambican people—especially those who are still in the affected area, need all the support they can get, including food, medicine, and shelter.
The situation in Beira, a major Mozambican city on the Indian Ocean where Idai hit, noted the minister, is improving thanks to international aid and the efforts of Mozambican contributors.
For his part, Ambassador Rahali affirmed that King Mohammed VI’s gesture reflects the strong and sincere ties keeping Morocco and Mozambique together.
Read Also: UK Rejects Trump’s Call for Israeli-Occupied Golan Recognition
Mozambique’s Land and Environment Minister Celso Correia told reporters last Saturday, March 23, that the cyclone’s the death toll had risen to 446 from 417. He added that the cyclone affected 531,000 people, and 110,000 were in camps.
Correia said on Saturday that some 1,500 people were still sitting in trees and on rooftops and needed immediate help, more than a week after the cyclone hit on March 14. Many died after falling from precarious perches.
The floods have also raised water-borne diseases such as cholera, prompting the Mozambican government to open a cholera treatment center.
Cyclone Idai, described by the UN as the most disastrous weather event ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, lashed Beira with
winds of up to 170 kilometers per hour.
The storm had developed in Malawi, moved out to the ocean, and after hitting Mozambique, moved inland to Zimbabwe, killing hundreds in its wake.
Other countries that sent aid to Mozambique include Turkey, Portugal, and Tanzania.The European Union and Pope Francis also sent aid.
