Fatshimetrie presents: Devastating images of the floods in Watalinga, Beni territory, North Kivu in 2024
Nature can be unforgiving and the recent floods that hit the Watalinga chiefdom in Beni territory provide poignant proof of this. A week after heavy rains hit the region, the toll is heavy: two hundred people have lost their lives and more than two thousand homes have been destroyed. These figures only partially describe the scale of the tragedy affecting these already fragile communities.
The chief of the chiefdom, Pascal Saambili Bamukoka, is launching an urgent appeal for help from government authorities and humanitarian partners. In a gripping account of the situation, he describes a territory in chaos, where daily life has become an insurmountable challenge for many families. Roads are impassable, bridges have been washed away, and isolation threatens three entire groups. Residents no longer know where to find shelter, how to cultivate their fields, or how to rebuild their lives after this disaster.
Faced with this distress, Pascal Saambili calls on the authorities, from local to central levels, to intervene urgently. He pleads for urgent and effective solidarity, the only way to alleviate suffering and restore hope to a severely tested community.
The images of the floods in Watalinga are not only a reflection of a brutal reality, but also a call for general mobilization. They remind us of the urgency to act in the face of climate change that increasingly threatens the most vulnerable populations. In a world facing multiple challenges, solidarity and mutual aid must guide our actions to prevent such tragedies.
In this time of mourning and reconstruction, the challenges are immense, but the resilience of the affected communities and the solidarity of all can bring a ray of hope. There is an urgent need to act, to join forces and resources to support the victims of the floods in Watalinga and enable them to recover from this ordeal. Time is running out, the situation is critical, but together we can overcome these challenges and build a more united and resilient future for all.