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DRC: In Kalehe territory, flood survivors do not know where to go

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In Bushushu, houses were swept away by the mudslide on Thursday 4 May, causing population displacement. © Coralie Pierret/RFI

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Several thousand were affected by the floods of Thursday, May 4 in Kalehe territory in eastern DRC. According to Ocha, the UN Joint Office for Humanitarian Affairs in the DRC, about 3,000 homes have been destroyed. Some survivors have remained in the affected villages and are staying with host families. Others have left for the surrounding areas.

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With our special envoy in Ihusi, Coralie Pierret

In Ihusi, the streets are carpeted with mud. The village was not affected by the floods but the rain did not spare this locality. It was precisely the rain that Ushindi fled. She took refuge with her baby at her mother-in-law's house the day after the tragedy. After losing her husband and eldest as well as her home. "The risk is always there because every time it rains, the river may still overflow. Houses around the river have been weakened by the floods and are also at risk of collapsing.

Not all survivors took the same direction. Kahunda Hunda, who arrived in Ihusi on Wednesday, spent nearly a week sleeping under the stars in the mountains with his wife. "I'm used to seeing floods, but not to the point that it sweeps away all the houses and people in the village. After the disaster, we went up to the Kalehe Highlands where we thought we were safe. But when we got there, there were other landslides. So we said to ourselves "no we can't stay there". »

According to the authorities, relocation plans are being drawn up. But for now, the survivors have nowhere else to go.

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• DRC
• Natural disasters