SW News: The Catholic bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo claim that the recent floods are just the latest in a long list of problems the nation is facing, including armed strife and rapacious mineral and forest exploitation.

At least 411 people have already died as a result of the floods in the nation's violently ravaged eastern area. Rivers burst their banks as a result of torrential rains, causing floods and mudslides that swept away homes, farms, and cattle, destroying entire communities.

The Bushushu and Nyamukubi villages in South Kivu's Kalehe district, according to provincial governor Theo Kasi, were virtually destroyed. The death toll is anticipated to increase given that more than 5,500 people are still missing.

In a May 8 statement, signed by Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa and Archbishop of Kisangani, “It is with great emotion and sadness that we received the sad news of the disasters caused by the torrential rains that have fallen in recent days on the Province of South Kivu, especially in the Territory of Kalehe, causing loss of life and significant material damage. This misfortune adds to our sorrow at a time when we are very worried about the worrying social and security situation in the Provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.”

Another statement released by the Archdiocese of Bukavu said the once-vibrant villages of Kalehe, Bushushu, Nyamukubi, Chabondo, and Kabushungu have been cruelly devastated. “Nature became angry and took vengeance without mercy. Entire villages were flattened, wiped off the map. Men and women of all ages, sizes, and occupations have ended up in the lake and others lie still in deserted streets that have become their mortuaries …The earth on which we walk has become our graveyard,” the statement read.

The bishops expressed solidarity with Archbishop François-Xavier Maroy of Bukavu and the people of God who live in this region. They called on the Congolese government and humanitarian organizations to help victims of these catastrophes. The destructive floods have been linked to climate change by experts. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, by 2030 the world will have warmed by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, and extreme precipitation will rise by 7% for each extra degree.

Africa is warming at a rate twice as fast as the rest of the world.
The World Bank also predicted the climate catastrophe would force 86 million Africans to relocate within their own nations by 2050.