The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has deployed its Emergency Response Team (ERT) to Mozambique and South Africa to support national disaster response efforts following severe flooding and extreme weather conditions across the region.

The deployment, scheduled from 23 to 31 January 2026, comes as prolonged rainfall triggered river overflows, dam spillages and flash floods, leading to loss of life, displacement of communities, destruction of infrastructure and disruption of essential services. Mozambique and South Africa have been the hardest hit and have formally requested humanitarian assistance.

In Mozambique, flooding has affected central and southern provinces including Gaza, Maputo, Sofala, Inhambane and Manica, prompting the government to declare a Red Alert on 16 January. South Africa declared a State of National Disaster on 18 January after heavy floods in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces.

SADC said the ERT will support government-led response efforts through emergency coordination, early recovery operations, continuous situation monitoring and the consolidation of a regional humanitarian appeal based on evolving impact assessments. The intervention is part of SADC’s regional disaster management mechanisms aimed at strengthening collective responses to climate-related emergencies.

More than one million people across Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have been affected by flooding since October 2025, underscoring the urgency of a coordinated regional response.

Through its Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC), SADC is working closely with national disaster authorities, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the UNDAC mechanism and other partners to support affected communities.

SADC said the mission will help assess humanitarian needs, response capacities and priority interventions, ensuring a timely, targeted and effective regional response to the unfolding crisis.