AU pledges moresupport to Malawi

The African Union (AU) has pledged more support to Malawi to help the country recover from effects of Tropical Cyclone Freddy and improve in its preparedness to avoid future disasters.

AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development Minata Samate Cessouma said this in Blantyre after visiting cyclone-affected areas in Chilobwe and Soche.

She hailed the support that countries such as Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe rendered to Malawi during this time of need.

Said Cessouma: “We are here to show solidarity of the African Union Commission to Malawi. We want to assure Malawi that it is not alone in this difficult situation, we need to assist the country and employ African solutions to resolve African problems.

“I am sad to see this kind of situation, it’s never easy to live in the camps, but we will do our best to appeal to our member States and also our partners to continue supporting Malawi to rebuild and let the people return home. They will need new settlements, because it will be dangerous for them to return where they were staying.”

She further hailed the Malawi Government for handling the disaster situation well by, among others, ensuring that affected people receive the assistance they need.

In his remarks , African Union Southern Africa Regional Office permanent representative Ambassador David Claude Pierre said the visit shows the level of importance that Malawi is to the AU.

He said: “The African Union will continue to sensitise the whole continent towards assisting Malawi because it requires both short and long term support. We should also assist Malawi in early warning systems so that it is able to prepare for incoming disasters to be able to save lives.”

The AU has supported Malawi with $500 000 or about K500 million towards the Cyclone Freddy disaster.

Department of Disaster Management Affairs director of preparedness and response Moses Chimphepo said the visit by the AU signifies solidarity and how the bloc cares about Malawi.

“The visit shows a good relation between Malawi and other countries. It also provides an opportunity for the department to learn from the assessment and observations that they will make to see where we can improve.

“They have also come with technical expertise to see how best we can serve the people who are currently in camps,” he said.

The AU delegation is scheduled to meet President Lazarus Chakwera today.