The macabre number has only increased since the tragedy, but coffins are still arriving in small quantities. The first were sent by the government four days after a gigantic mudslide nearly destroyed several villages in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). According to the authorities’ latest report, 401 residents of the Kalehe area died in these extraordinary floods, 411 according to local civil society, a group of citizens’ associations.
At the scene of the disaster, on Tuesday, May 9, a government delegation from the capital Kinshasa, consisting of three ministers, the second vice president of the National Assembly, MPs and the regional governor, promised to help survivors obtain food and new coffins. Quite a symbol, as several political figures, including gynecologist Denis Mukwegue, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, have denounced the lack of burial and hasty burials in mass graves.
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You really have to act fast. The bodies, some of which were washed into nearby rivers and Lake Kivu, must be disposed of quickly to avoid contaminating the water. Especially since cholera is endemic to the area. Bodies “which continue to be found as we speak,” Delphin Kirimbi told World on Tuesday, indicating that some are in an advanced state of decomposition. The civil society president in Kalehe fears the death toll will rise as “5,255 people remain missing,” he says. A number much higher than the 201 missing reported by the authorities.
Many people have lost everything: their families, their homes, their livestock and their fields. According to the UN Coordinating Office for Humanitarian Aid in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (OCHA), around 3,000 households are now homeless and 1,200 houses have been completely destroyed. The residents were surprised by the streams of mud that swept away everything in their path. However, this type of phenomenon is not unfamiliar to the region. There have been several floods, most notably in 2014, when hundreds of people went missing. But this time it rained on a market day and the extent of the damage was unprecedented, local residents say.
ground pressure
Why these repeated disasters in Kahele? For United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, this is “a new example of accelerating climate change.” However, with no reliable meteorological or precipitation data available, several Congolese researchers insist that human activities are at the root of these tragedies.
The area is characterized by its mountainous landscapes, so-called high plateaus, and its steep slopes to the narrow valley leading to Lake Kivu. “In the 1950s, aerial photographs proved that 80% of Kalehe’s territory was covered with forests. Today only 5% remains,” explains Jean-Claude Maki Mateso from the Lwiro Science Research Center in South Kivu. Deforestation for fuelwood or to clear agricultural land increases the risk of landslides. “The heavy rains therefore lead to heavy runoff from the peaks to the lowlands where the dwellings are located,” continues Rigobert Bahati Birembano, geography teacher at the Higher Pedagogical Institute of Bukavu (ISP). Added to this are “unsuitable agricultural techniques that increase erosion”, specifies the geographer in Goma, Ciraba Honoré.
Also read: Floods in eastern DRC: “It looks like the end of the world”
In Kalehe, the pressure on the land is strong due to the high population density. In recent months, several thousand displaced people have poured into the area from the neighboring province of North Kivu, fleeing insecurity and fighting between the Congolese army and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels. “Buildings are totally anarchic and the laws that prohibit building a house too close to a river, stream or lake are not respected,” adds activist Delphin Kirimbi. “Yes, the responsibility for the tragedy lies with us, the people, unscrupulous civil servants and the government. But the authorities must fulfill their responsibility and urgently relocate the survivors. »