Day: March 13, 2023

Cyclone Freddy hit Madagascar first in February and then again in March, a rare loop trajectory that left behind a trail of destruction. The island nation was already reeling from last year’s Batsirai and Emnati cyclones, which had destroyed farmland and infrastructure in the southeast. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people are going hungry, unable to find enough to eat. In January, Malagasy media claimed that some families had been forced to sell their children to survive. These claims quickly spread and were speedily denied by the government. FRANCE 24’s team has been to some isolated villages and obtained exclusive accounts that contradict the official narrative.

Source: France24.com

Malawi has diverted flights and suspended schools in its southern districts due to Cyclone Freddy, which has killed at least 40 people, according to the country’s disaster management agency.

Cyclone Freddy hit Malawi on Friday and has caused damage in at least 10 districts in the country’s south.

The government in Lilongwe suspended schools in southern Malawi until further notice. In Blantyre, authorities suspended flights at the Chileka International airport for much of Sunday and Monday.

“Our officers have been deployed to rescue and provide other services to people who need rescue and we are in each of the districts because we also have police stations in these districts,” said Peter Kalaya, spokesman for Malawi’s Police Service. “But suffice to say our efforts are being hampered by the effects of the rains because the rains are still falling.”

Kalaya said the death toll will likely rise, as they expect reports from nine other affected districts.

Chipiliro Khamula, spokesman for Malawi’s Department of Disaster Preparedness, told VOA Monday rescue efforts were underway by police, the military and the Malawi Red Cross.

“We have also set up a national emergency operations center in Limbe to facilitate coordination of preparedness interventions,” Khamula said. “Again we have also stockpiled some relief items at the humanitarian staging area in Bangula, at our Blantyre warehouse, and in some districts for effective and efficient provision of relief items in affected areas.”

Yobu Kachiwanda, spokesperson for Malawi’s Meteorological Department, said the cyclone has started to weaken and is expected to leave Malawi soon.

“Projection is that it is still there in the next 24 to 48 hours, and will go back into Mozambique Channel as usual towards mid-week into the weekend,” Kachiwanda said.

Cyclone Freddy first appeared more than a month ago and is believed to be the longest-lasting storm in the region for the past 20 years. Since February, the cyclone has left scores of people dead across Madagascar and twice-hit Mozambique.

The storm is also expected to hit parts of Zambia and Zimbabwe this week.

Source: VOA

At least 22 people have died after their boat capsized in the Indian Ocean, while undertaking a perilous, 400km (250 mile) journey from Madagascar to the French territory of Mayotte.

Another 20 people were rescued over the weekend, Madagascar authorities said.

Hundreds of migrants are estimated to die every year trying to make such crossings.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing to find those still missing.

“Forty-seven people had clandestinely taken a boat headed to Mayotte, but that sank. 23 of the passengers were able to be saved, 22 bodies were found,” the Madagascar maritime authority APMF said in a statement about Saturday’s accident.

The migrants are believed to be from Madagascar’s northern city of Ambanja, a local resident told the BBC.

The crossings are often aided by smugglers who charge up to $700 (£570), he said.

Economic migration to Mayotte has mostly been by people from the Comoros islands, which are far closer to Mayotte, but there has been a rise in migration from Madagascar in recent years.

In 2021, French officials detained more than 6,500 people who were caught trying to enter Mayotte.

The number of people who have died trying to make the crossing is unknown, but a French senate report 20 years ago estimated that there were 1,000 fatalities each year.

Why is Mayotte French?

Mayotte is an island of 250,000 people that is part of the Comoros archipelago off the east coast of Africa.

The Comoros was a French colony until 1975 when it declared independence.

But Mayotte opted to remain part of France, voting overwhelmingly in 2009 in favour of becoming an integral part of France, mainly because of the economic benefits associated with becoming French.

In 2011, it became the 101st French department, in accordance with the 2009 referendum.

It is a predominantly Muslim country, and although French is the official language, only about half of the population can read or write it.

Source: BBC

At least 22 people have been killed after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Madagascar in Southern Africa, Madagascar’s port authority said.

The boat carrying a total of 47 people capsized on Saturday due to an accident in the seas off the coast of Madagascar, the Maritime and River Port Agency said in a statement.

Twenty-three of them on board were saved, and operations to rescue the missing were still ongoing, the authorities said.

The boat was on its way to the French overseas island of Mayotte, according to the statement

Source: Nam News Network (NNN)