DR Congo Reeling From Impact of Floods, Mudslides

South Kivu province has been battered by torrential rain, causing an overflow of rivers in the region. Authorities have launched search and rescue efforts to assist those affected by the floods. Thousands have been reported missing.

The flood-hit South Kivu in the broader Great Lakes region in eastern DRC is only partially under government control, with several insurgent groups operating in the area for decades and with one militia, the M23, making considerable gains in the past 18 months.

In North Kivu on May 10, 2023, ten people were killed in a landslide in eastern DR Congo's Lubero territory. The current rainy season is expected to last until the end of May 2023.

The flooding and mudslides have left over 400 people dead, according to North Kivu Governor, Theo Ngwabidje Kasi.

It was shocking to arrive at the usually vibrant village, where we had often stopped off, to find it had nearly disappeared. More than half of the village had been washed away: the houses, the market, the fields, the cattle, the water system... All was rubble and destruction said Ulrich Crépin Namfeibona head of the emergency team sent by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to respond to devastating floods said.