Commission boosts aid for flood-hit Mozambique cope with crisis

Date: 09/03/2000

By Gareth Harding

The European Commission will send an extra €75 million of aid to flood-ravaged Mozambique this year, in addition to the €100 million already earmarked for the southern African state.

This figure dwarfs the contributions made by the US, individual EU countries and other international organisations, but has nevertheless been criticised by aid groups and some MEPs as too little, too late.

British Socialist Glenys Kinnock said the international community's response to the suffering of the people of Mozambique was "uncoordinated and inadequate" and criticised the Commission for being unable to pool the resources of its delegations in the region to provide immediate help for the country.

Several MEPs also used a foreign policy debate in the European Parliament to lament the lack of a Union rapid-reaction force to intervene in non-military crises. External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten is currently drawing up plans for such a force and EU foreign policy supremo Javier Solana has admitted that the Union's inability to provide swift rescue assistance to Mozambique is "a clear example of where the Union could do more if it had the right capabilities".

Development Commissioner Poul Nielson visited the flood-stricken former Portuguese colony last week to assess the extent of the devastation and promise further EU support. He said afterwards that "the catastrophe was much bigger than expected" and added that Mozambique deserved the world's help. "The remarkable progress made in Mozambique can not be washed aside by what is a disaster on a monumental scale," he added.

Before Cyclone Eline ripped into the country more than a fortnight ago, Mozambique was one of Africa's few economic success stories, with growth rates of around 10% for the past three years and a booming tourist industry. This economic miracle now lies in tatters after the floods, which have killed more than 350 people and left over a quarter of a million homeless.

Commission officials say the rescue operation is now over and attention is focusing on providing food, shelter, healthcare and sanitation to the thousands of people marooned in camps. The EU's humanitarian office ECHO has already committed €2.15 million for emergency relief and has promised another €2 million. In addition, €21 million of ECHO money will be sent to rebuild hospitals, roads and bridges and help farmers, traders and mineworkers who have seen their livelihoods submerged under water. The Union is also planning to increase development assistance to Mozambique to €150 million this year from €100 million in 1999.

Mozambique diplomats say they are not yet able to assess the true scale of the disaster, but praised the Commission's response and Nielson's visit as a sign of the EU's commitment to the country.