12, January 2024
Congo-Démocratique: Chaos in Kinshasa as river rises to near-record level 0
Floods have wreaked chaos in Kinshasa – the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo – with water pouring into homes and residents navigating submerged roads via canoe.
The overflowing River Congo, passing through much of the country, has also swamped places outside the capital.
The vast, vital waterway has reached its highest level in six decades.
More than 300 people have died in floods over the past months, officials say.
On Thursday, residents in the impoverished megacity of Kinshasa told the BBC how “schools, hospitals and churches” have been washed away.
“I had lived here with my relatives… I have lost everything,” Jonas Mungindami said.
Similarly, Denise Tuzola said her house is now “full of water”.
“There is no church here anymore and there is no way for the children to go to school,” she added.
Kinshasa is home to several small rivers and streams, which often double as open sewers. Many have now overflown.
On one flooded street, a man waded through through thigh-level water, hauling a canoe full of passengers behind him. Trucks drove cautiously through the same waters, while dozens of discarded bottles bob on the surface.
The RVF, the agency overseeing DR Congo’s waterways, sounded the alarm in late December.
It warned that heavy rains would cause “exceptional flooding” around the Kinshasa area.
By this point, provinces such as Mongala and Ituri had already faced serious flooding.
In Kinshasa, flooding is common but this year the Congo River has risen just shy of 6.26 metres, the level reached during record flooding in 1961.
Further upstream, in the city of Kisangani, the mayor said that over 200 houses have been submerged.
The Congo River has also caused turmoil in Congo-Brazzaville, a nation that borders DR Congo.
Flooding there has impacted more than 336,000 people and 34 health facilities, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.
Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.
Just over a year ago, floods in Kinshasa left more than 120 people dead.
Source: BBC
17, January 2024
One Cameroonian peacekeeper killed, five wounded in Central African Republic 0
The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the attack perpetrated on 15 January against the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in Mbindale through an explosive device, following which one peacekeeper from Cameroon was killed and five wounded.
The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of the peacekeeper killed, as well as to Cameroon. They also expressed their condolences to the United Nations. They wished a speedy and full recovery to the peacekeepers injured.
The members of the Security Council reiterated that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes and reminded all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law. They called on the Government of the Central African Republic to swiftly investigate this attack with the support of MINUSCA, promote accountability for such acts by bringing perpetrators to justice, and keep the relevant troop-contributing country informed of the progress consistent with Security Council resolutions 2518 (2020) and 2589 (2021). They stressed that involvement in planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks against MINUSCA peacekeepers constitutes a basis for sanctions designations pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The members of the Security Council expressed particular concern about reports of illicit transnational trafficking networks which continue to fund and supply armed groups in the Central African Republic, noted in particular the increasing use of explosive ordnances, including improvised explosive devices and landmines, which account for a growing number of civilian casualties, as well as the destruction of civilian properties and continue to disrupt humanitarian access. They stressed the need to further investigate and combat this threat.
The members of the Security Council reiterated their full support for MINUSCA and expressed their deep appreciation to MINUSCA’s troop- and police-contributing countries.
The members of the Security Council further stressed the importance of MINUSCA having the necessary capacities to fulfil its mandate and promote the safety and security of the United Nations peacekeepers, pursuant to Security Council resolution 2709 (2023).
The members of the Security Council reiterated their strong support for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Central African Republic, Valentine Rugwabiza, and for MINUSCA to assist the Central African Republic authorities and the people of the Central African Republic in their efforts to bring lasting peace and stability, as mandated by the Security Council in resolution 2709 (2023).
Source: Miragenews