This case study examines the role of the affected state in humanitarian action. The following sections of this report provide a brief overview of the disaster itself and place this within the context of Mozambique’s recent history, particularly in relation to its capacity to deal with previous humanitarian emergencies. The report then looks at some of the institutional arrangements that have been developed for dealing with emergencies, by both national and international actors in Mozambique, and discusses how these actually worked in practice in the most recent case. The purpose is not to carry out a detailed evaluation, but to draw out lessons that may have a wider applicability to issues that concern the appropriate role of the state and how it relates to international humanitarian actors in responding to disasters.