5,000 Victims of Lake Albert Floods In DR Congo Abandoned

Five thousand families from the villages of Kasenyi and Tsomia in the Mokambo chiefdom of Mahagi territory in Ituri province of Democratic Republic of Congo who were forced to abandon their homes following floods caused by Lake Albert in September this year have since been abandoned to their fate.

According to Wilson Mugara,  the Ituri provincial member of parliament, these families continue to live under very precarious conditions since they were forced out of their homes.

“The lake continues to overflow its banks up till now and the number of victims has continued to increase,” Mugara said.

“Today, we have more than 5,000 families which are confined in host families. They are suffering terribly by way of logistics, feeding and health. They have been categorically forgotten by the provincial and national governments.”

“The government must urgently take charge of the needs of these vulnerable persons,” added Mugara who regrets that despite his several appeals to certain government authorities, nothing has been done to date.

“We have held meetings with several authorities in the sector. Even the National Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Steve Mbikayi granted us audience during his passage in Bunia. He promised us a favourable response within one or two months but to date, nothing has been done,” the member of parliament revealed.

The civil protection services in the region have confirmed that the displaced populations continue to suffer without government assistance.

“Even the several humanitarian organisations operating within this zone have not been of any help to the people displaced due to the Lake Albert floods,”  one civil society activist told HumAngle by phone last evening.

“One begins to wonder what humanitarian activities they are involved in when they cannot be of assistance to such a large number of displaced persons.”