Daily Noon Briefing Highlights – 25 January 2021
Mozambique
Tropical Cyclone Eloise made landfall on Saturday, 23 January in Mozambique, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding to areas affected by Tropical Storm Chalane three weeks ago and devastated by Cyclone Idai less than two years ago.
Preliminary official reports indicate that more than 176,000 people have been affected, including more than 8,300 displaced. At least six people have died and 12 have been injured.
The cyclone left more than 8,800 houses destroyed, damaged or flooded, mainly in Buzi, Dondo, Nhamatanda and Beira City. More than 160 classrooms and at least 26 health centres have been damaged, and electricity was affected in some areas. Almost 142,000 hectares of crops have been flooded and could affected the annual harvest expected for April. These numbers are very preliminary and could rise in the days ahead as the full extent of the damage becomes known.
Daily Noon Briefing Highlights – 22 January 2021
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Humanitarian Coordinator, David McLachlan-Karr, issued a statement on 21 January condemning recent massacres, abductions and other human rights violations against civilians by armed elements in Beni Territory, North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
More than 150 people – most of them women and children – have died because of violent attacks between 11 December 2020 and 10 January 2021. At least 100 people have been kidnapped and injured over the same period. Looting of health facilities, natural resources, and burning down of houses have also been reported.
“The situation is as alarming as it is unacceptable”, said McLachlan-Karr. He added, “I strongly condemn these acts of violence which strongly contribute to increasing peoples’ vulnerability. I urge the armed elements to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and to protect people and civi