2023-06-04 22:02:37
A month following the torrential rains that fell in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi remain cut off from the world, or almost. Only access: Lake Kivu. In addition to the trauma experienced, an economic crisis sets in for the thousands of survivors whose relocation is confirmed every day a little more.
On the spot, the thousands of Bushushu and Nyamukubi survivors are deprived of their main income-generating activities: agriculture – more than 3,000 hectares are impassable – and fishing is prohibited due to pollution linked to landslides, carrying the bodies of more than 5 000 missing and heads of cattle. As the RN 2 road between Goma and Bukavu is still cut off at the Makele bridge, supplies and assistance are provided by the lake. Only access to open up the territory of Kalehe.
Archimède Karhebwa is the deputy administrator: « For fishing, their property, their belongings, they were taken away. For those who lived from agriculture, understand that the fields have been impacted. For those who lived on livestock, in the rubble, we even picked up heads of cattle. Everything was taken away. Currently they live on the one hand either from government donations or from humanitarian assistance. »
And economic operations are not regarding to resume in Kalehe, once renowned for its regional market, which was also buried on May 4. A black Thursday, because it was also a market day. Even today and for the months to come, the WFP, the World Food Programme, will continue via its partners to distribute food bags for the survival of thousands of survivors.
Francis Béré is the boss of the WFP in Bukavu: « WFP has started assistance for a period of four months. Assistance for 50,000 affected people. For these four months, approximately 780 tonnes will be distributed monthly and the food basket is made up of cereals, legumes, oil and salt.. »
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Another consequence of this disaster: access to land, condemned for a long time. The crisis committee is therefore studying several avenues for relocation. The victims, accommodated in reception houses, will have to be resettled several kilometers away. Charles Kalemaza is the director of humanitarian operations in South Kivu for Caritas: “ Relocation would be ideal, because in the villages where they lost their shelters, they will not be able to return there. There are plantations where these people would like to go and if the government manages to acquire them to settle them permanently. »
The plantations desired by the victims are those of Ihusi and Kabira – five kilometers from Bushushu – owned by the Taverne group headed by Bahati Lukwebo Modeste, also president of the Senate.
But for now, only one site has been proposed: the former Lwako aerodrome in the village of Tshibanda with its typical houses financed by the first lady’s foundation, but only 300 people might live there. A site considered impractical, because it is far from the fields and very far from the needs of the thousands of victims of Kalehe.
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