By RFPosted on 27-11-2019Modified on 27-11-2019 at 08:36

The record of floods in Congo-Brazzaville has been revised upwards. According to humanitarian sources, the Congolese Ministry of Social Affairs estimates, on November 26, now to 100,000 the number of people affected. It was 50,000 last week.

In addition to Likouala, which has been the scene of the most serious damage so far, several localities in central Congo-Brazzaville have also been severely affected. In question, very heavy rains that made Oubangui and the Congo River out of their beds . The Congolese authorities have not yet provided a report on the loss of life. Last week the Congolese pro-government press reported three deaths.

Impassable communication axes

The difficulties of assessing the damage in areas where rising water makes certain communication routes impassable and the duration of this episode of torrential rain explain the difficulty of establishing a balance sheet. For Jean-Martin Bauer, director of the World Food Program (WFP) in the country, " the situation has already been going on for a few weeks. It was initially concentrated in the Ubangi Valley. So he was out of bed already in October and as time passes, there are now impacts in the central area of ​​the country. So, in addition to the Likouala where there were 50,000 people affected, what is new now is that the bowl and trays are also affected, especially in the bowl. Today we received an estimate of 30,000. "

Faced with serious financial difficulties, the Congolese authorities last week launched an appeal to humanitarian organizations. Displaced people, destroyed houses or harvests destroyed, the needs are important and the help is organized little by little, says Jean-Martin Bauer, " we sent a barge from Brazzaville Saturday with 740 tons of food, then drugs and something else. This should allow us to cover a large part of the people affected in Likouala. Now the challenge is to scale up to cover other needs in the center of the country. It is true that it is very complicated "

An exceptional flood episode

If the floods are recurrent in the country, this episode remains exceptional. Never seen for more than 20 years , according to the villagers of the affected areas. " It is true that the floods are recurrent in the valley of rivers Congo and Ubangi ," says Jean-Martin Bauer of PAM. But those taking place this year are exceptional. I was in Likouala last week and the people I talked to compared this year with the floods of 1999 and 1962. That's at least 20 years ago. had floods like that in the Congo. It is an exceptional phenomenon . "

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