Navigating Climate-related Displacements: Insights from Cyclone Idai in Mozambique

Abstract

Tropical Cyclone Idai, which struck in March 2019, was among the most catastrophic climate-related disasters in Southern Africa, causing widespread destruction, loss of life, economic loss, and rapid-onset displacement in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. Displaced populations experienced disproportionate impacts after the cyclone, yet few studies have examined post-disaster displacement management dynamics.
As climate change intensifies cyclones like Idai and their associated displacement impacts, addressing this research gap is crucial for mitigating future climate-related displacement risks. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature, reports from humanitarian agencies, and policy documents, this paper examines Cyclone Idai-related displacement in Mozambique, with a focus on the short-term, long-term, and cross-border dimensions shaped by displacement management. Findings indicate that displacements following Cyclone Idai were largely internal and marked by weak disaster preparedness, reactive disaster response, and resettlement, which are entrenched in structural and non-structural vulnerabilities. There was also limited coordination on cross-border displacements. Altogether, these challenges undermined disaster recovery, heightening future displacement risks. Based on these findings, the paper recommends a shift towards improved early warning systems, disaster preparedness, effective coordination, and mobilisation of local resources at national and regional levels for disasters. Furthermore, durable, displacement-proof solutions must be underpinned by coherent national and regional frameworks for displacement management that integrate disaster risk reduction into land-use planning, urban planning, and climate-resilient livelihoods.