Flooding Displaces Thousands in DR Congo
(MENAFN) In Tanganyika province, Democratic Republic of Congo, almost 10,000 individuals have been forced to flee their homes due to devastating floods brought on by weeks of relentless rain, based on a report from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) released on Tuesday.
"This unfolding emergency reflects the double crisis facing the DRC, where extreme weather shocks such as flooding compound the suffering caused by ongoing conflict and mass displacement," said UNHCR spokesperson Eujin Byun during a press briefing in Geneva.
The overflow of the Rugumba River has submerged vast areas in the Kalemie and Nyunzu territories, Byun explained.
As a result, homes, schools, and agricultural land have been destroyed, leaving many people without shelter or means of survival.
The stagnant and polluted floodwaters have sparked concerns about potential disease outbreaks, as cholera cases in the province are "already six times higher than during the same period last year," she added.
Since January, Tanganyika has seen the arrival of approximately 50,000 individuals fleeing violence from South Kivu.
Many of these displaced people had been residing in structures now damaged by the flooding.
"The floods also wiped out key crops like cassava, maize, and peanuts, worsening an already serious food insecurity situation in the country," Byun stated.
The UNHCR has raised alarms, highlighting that 2.3 million people across four conflict-ridden provinces, including South Kivu, North Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika, are now facing life-threatening hunger.
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