Maputo — The President of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, expressed his gratitude on Wednesday in Maputo for the support of the Angolan state in mitigating the effects of the crisis caused by the floods affecting this Indian Ocean country.
This was made public by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique, Maria dos Santos Lucas, in statements to the press.
"On behalf of President Chapo, I thank the efforts of the Angolan authorities and the Angolan people, who felt the suffering of the Mozambicans, especially in the center and south of the country," she expressed.
According to the Minister, the amount of rain water that fell on the affected areas was a big surprise, and the fact that neighboring countries opened the floodgates of their dams also contributed to the disaster.
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She informed that the National Institute for Disaster Management has developed a great deal of prevention information which, for that reason alone, has contributed to avoiding greater damage.
On Tuesday, when the first batch of Angolan aid arrived for victims in Mozambique, the Council of Ministers was meeting in Xai Xai, capital of Gaza province, one of the regions that was drastically affected by the floods.
The Mozambican minister explained that in Xai Xai there are districts where water levels range from three to nine meters, "hence there are many people, including children, women and elderly people for whom the help provided by Angola will be of great value".
"We are here to convey President Chapo's request to thank his counterpart João Lourenço and the Angolan people for their efforts", she stressed.
The Minister recalled that Mozambique launched the alert on Friday (16), and letters began to be sent on the 17th "and Angola must have received them on the 19th, but immediately responded positively to the challenge".
During their trip to Xai Xai, Mozambican leaders visited a school to provide shelter for the population and in other cases there are areas with a high number of people without conditions, and the tents sent by Angola will be used to welcome these citizens, The Minister said.
"Once again, we felt a great friendly warmth from the Angolans, for which we are deeply grateful," she concluded.
According to official data, since the beginning of the rainy season, 812 thousand people have been affected, of which more than 652 thousand in the last two weeks alone. SC/DC/DOJ
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