Mozambique: Flash Update No.4 – Heavy rains and floods in central and southern Mozambique (as of 21 January 2026)

Highlights

• An estimated 600,000 people have been affected by flooding across southern and central Mozambique, particularly in Gaza, Maputo, and Sofala provinces, following heavy and persistent rainfall since mid-December. The majority of the people affected, 75 percent, are in Gaza.
• Access bottlenecks are hampering relief operations, as road access to affected areas is largely cut off. This is also significantly disrupting supply chains. Air and maritime assets are urgently needed to allow the dispatch of urgent supplies, including those being airlifted to Maputo.
• High-volume dam releases are contributing to elevated river levels and continued downstream flooding with more areas being affected. The floods have had severe impacts on lives, livelihoods, and essential services, including damage to sections of the main road linking Maputo to the rest of the country.
• Key priorities include the rapid deployment of air assets for search and rescue and to secure humanitarian access to hard-to-reach areas, urgent mobilization of civil engineering and disaster management specialists to temporarily restore key access routes and reinforce flood control measures.
• A large-scale increase in humanitarian assistance is required with a particular focus on food, WASH, emergency shelter and NFIs, and essential health services with strong protection measures in place to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, and gender-based violence.