ANAMOLA leader questions where billions in aid for Mozambique went

In a recent online debate ("Live"), Venâncio Mondlane, leader of the ANAMOLA Party, launched an incisive questioning of the management of disaster recovery funds in Mozambique over the last five decades. The politician traced a timeline of tragedies and donations, questioning the application of the money.

Mondlane began by recalling the 2000 floods, a national disaster marked by the symbolic rescue of baby Rosita in memory, who was born in a tree. At the time, Mozambique requested and received $450 million in international aid for reconstruction.

Let's move on to 2013, the year in which floods caused 119 deaths. According to the leader of ANAMOLA, the country once again "reached out" to the international community, requesting $250 million for recovery.

However, it was Cyclones Idai and Kenneth in 2019 that caused the greatest tragedy, with a death toll of around 1,300. To cope with the devastation, Mozambique requested an unprecedented amount: $3.2 billion. More recently, in 2023, Cyclone Fredy led the country to request $1.5 billion.

Adding up these appeals, Venâncio Mondlane makes a strong statement: he believes that, over the last five decades, the regime in power has already received around 5 billion dollars in aid for natural disasters, which have caused at least 3,000 deaths.

Faced with these figures, Mondlane poses the central question: "What was done with all this money?". The question is based on a practical observation: "If all the roads and bridges that were built are destroyed in the subsequent incidents, why?".

The answer he suggests points to a chronic problem: "Misappropriation of funds." For Mondlane, these are not mere suspicions, but rather "the reasons that exacerbate this situation," creating a vicious cycle of destruction, pleas for help, and fragile reconstructions that cannot withstand the next calamity. The debate remains open, with the opposition leader demanding transparency regarding the path of millions in humanitarian aid.