Government has deployed two aircraft and food items to Mozambique as humanitarian relief amidst floods that have affected several provinces of that country.

In a statement issued to ZANIS by the Disaster Management Authority (DMMU) Senior Communications Officer, Mathews Musukwa, Minister of Fisheries and Livestock, Peter Kapala has handed over 500 metric tonnes of maize and 50 metric tonnes of beans to support flood victims.

“The President instructed the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit, which sits in the Office of the Vice President, to urgently mobilise food assistance to support the Government of Mozambique in providing relief to affected communities,” he said.

Mr Kapala said that the government of Zambia has recognised the scale and magnitude of what has happened in Mozambique, making it necessary not only to express solidarity but also to take practical action.

He said that the humanitarian support reflects the strong bilateral relations and spirit of regional solidarity that exists between Zambia and Mozambique.

This intervention follows a formal request from Mozambique for support to facilitate humanitarian operations, as parts of Mozambique remain inaccessible by road due to widespread flooding.

DMMU National Coordinator, Norman Chipakupaku alongside other senior government officials from both Zambia and Mozambique, witnessed the symbolic handover of the donation and the trans-shipment of the relief food from Zambian trucks onto Mozambican trucks.