SADC has deployed its Emergency Response Team (ERT) to support Madagascar following the landfall of Tropical Cyclone Gezani on 10 February 2026.
The cyclone struck shortly after Tropical Cyclone FYTIA, which made landfall on 31 January 2026, compounding the humanitarian crisis. This has resulted in loss of life, displacement, destruction of infrastructure and significant disruption to essential services.
The ERT deployment forms part of SADC’s regional disaster response mechanisms aimed at reinforcing Government-led efforts in affected SADC Member States. In collaboration with MapAction, Rescue South Africa, and the World Food Programme (WFP), the teams will be in Madagascar from 16 to 28 February 2026 to provide technical support in emergency coordination, search and rescue, geospatial analysis, situation monitoring and the development of a regional humanitarian appeal based on ongoing assessments.
More than 270,000 people across 18 districts in five regions have been affected, underscoring the urgent need for a coordinated and sustained response.
At the regional level, the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC) is working closely with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and national structures to support the Government’s response.
Through this deployment, SADC aims to strengthen situational understanding, identify priority needs, and coordinate targeted regional assistance to ensure an effective, timely, and well-coordinated humanitarian response, in the spirit of regional solidarity.
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