Maputo — The voluntary repatriation of about 1,600 Mozambican families, from Nsanje in Malawi, where they fled from tropical cyclone Ana in January, will start this month.

For this purpose, the Nsanje district government is committed to finalizing the list of all displaced people who are in eight accommodation centers and sending it to Mozambique by next Friday, 8 July.

The national director for Prevention and Motivation at the Mozambican National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGD), César Tembe, talking to the independent daily "O País", said that several stakeholders will be involved in returning the Mozambicans to Morrumbala district, in Zambezia province.

"The repatriation of the Mozambicans seems urgent", said Tembe - but in that case, it is hard to see why the Mozambicans have stayed in Malawi for almost six months.

In a meeting between Mozambican and Malawian officials on Wednesday, it was agreed that the Malawian lists should contain all the information about the heads of households, their dependents, place of origin, among other data deemed important.

"The data will facilitate the process of organizing all the necessary logistics so that people can be repatriated. On Wednesday, the Malawians asked the Mozambican delegation about the withdrawal of the refugees instead of providing, at this stage, food and utensils for the benefit of all", revealed Tembe.

César Tembe added that during cyclonic events, the provision of inputs and other support to families is done via many organizations. "Therefore, it is good that our compatriots return so that together we can begin the process of reconstruction, including houses, farms, and whatever else is necessary", he said.

On the same occasion, the Morrumbala district administrator, João Nhambessa, guaranteed that 2,300 plots of land are available for allocation to the households.