UNOG bi-weekly press briefing: DR Congo Flooding - UNHCR
/
1:25
/
MP4
/
140.2 MB

Edited News | UNHCR

UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: DR Congo Flooding UNHCR

Massive floods in DRC’s South Kivu impact 80,000 people, kill dozens

Aid is being rushed to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where deadly flooding has swept away people and homes and affected tens of thousands more, including many displaced by violence, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday.

Announcing assistance measures for South Kivu province in coordination with local partners, UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic said that torrential rainfall in Uvira town in recent days had led to heavy flooding of the Mulongwe river, impacting 80,000 people.

“Initial reports suggest more than 25 people have died because of the floods and more than 40 injured with fears of many others swept away by the floodwaters,” he said. “A health clinic in one of Uvira’s poorer neighbourhoods was destroyed and water and sanitation facilities in the overcrowded town were also damaged.”

The UNHCR official added: “We are rushing initial supplies of relief items from its local warehouse in Uvira, including badly needed tarpaulins to provide immediate shelter, as well as mats, kitchen sets, buckets and mosquito nets.”

The aid effort complements support provided by UN peacekeepers in the country, MONUSCO, who have provided initial support to Uvira – home to nearly one million people.

The blue helmets have prioritized rescuing survivors from destroyed houses, providing drinking water and assessing damage to roads and bridges, the UN Mission said in a statement.

“The victims lived in densely populated areas of the town and surrounding villages that are hosting displaced people, including refugees,” Mr Mahecic explained.

With more than 15,000 homes damaged, UNHCR has warned that reports of further devastation “are still coming in from this region, already the hardest hit by years of insecurity and conflict”.

The development comes as residents brace for the expected imminent arrival of the new coronavirus, which has so far claimed 25 lives in DRC.

In its latest update on Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 18 new cases of COVID-19 in the capital, Kinshasa, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 350.

“UNHCR is concerned over the large number of people left homeless by the flooding and exposed to sickness and disease,” said Mr Mahecic. “While no cases of COVID-19 have reached Uvira so far, the risk of cholera has heightened, as it is endemic to the area.”

  1. Wide shot: exterior, flag alley, Palais des Nations, United Nations Geneva.
  2. SOUNDBITE (EN) - Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “Initial reports suggest that more than 25 people have died because of the floods with more than 40 injured with fears of many others swept away by the floodwaters.”
  3. Medium wide shot: main entrance to UN Geneva, Pregny Gate.
  4. SOUNDBITE (EN) - Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “A health clinic in one of Uvira’s poorer neighbourhoods was destroyed and water and sanitation facilities in the overcrowded town are also damaged.”
  5. Medium shot: broken chair statue, Place des Nations, Geneva.
  6. SOUNDBITE (EN) - Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “We are rushing initial supplies of relief items to local warehouses in Uvira, including badly needed shelter materials to provide needed shelter as well as mats, kitchen sets, buckets and mosquito nets.”
  7. Medium shot: main entrance to UN Geneva, Pregny Gate, panning out.
  8. SOUNDBITE (EN) - Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “UNHCR is concerned over the large number of people left homeless by the flooding and exposed to sickness and disease. While no cases of COVID-19 have reached Uvira so far, the risk of cholera has heightened, as it is endemic to this area.”
  9. Medium shot: anti-war sculpture, Place des Nations, Geneva.
  10. Wide shot: Lake Geneva, mountains in backdrop, sunshine reflecting on the water, panning out.

Similar Stories

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on escalating violence in DRC

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on escalating violence in DRC ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned of the risk of the violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo escalating throughout the Great Lakes sub-region, following the recent takeover of Goma city by the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group.

DR Congo - Human Rights Council  Special Session

1

1

1

Edited News | HRC

DR Congo - Human Rights Council Special Session ENG FRA

UN human rights chief Volker Türk expressed profound concerns at the ongoing violent escalation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) caused by the ongoing Rwanda-backed M23 offensive. “If nothing is done, the worst may be yet to come, for the people of the eastern DRC, but also beyond the country’s borders,” he told a Special Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

US funding cuts impact - UNAIDS

1

1

1

Edited News | UNAIDS

US funding cuts impact - UNAIDS ENG FRA

US aid funding cuts create confusion, put HIV prevention at risk, says UNAIDS 

The US pause in foreign assistance funding has created “a lot of confusion” in community HIV prevention work, despite the waiver issued for HIV/AIDS programmes, the UN agency to combat AIDS (UNAIDS) said on Friday.

US aid funding cuts,  UNFPA - OCHA - UNOG

1

1

1

Edited News | UNFPA , OCHA , UNOG

US aid funding cuts, UNFPA - OCHA - UNOG ENG FRA

UN agencies offered a dire assessment on Tuesday about the global impact of deep cuts to grassroots humanitarian funding by the incoming US administration and reiterated calls for Washington to retain its position as a global aid leader.

OPT humanitarian update  - UNRWA

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA

OPT humanitarian update - UNRWA ENG FRA

While West Bank camp is destroyed, UNRWA delivers bulk of aid in Gaza

Large swathes of Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank have been completely destroyed following a series of controlled detonations by the Israeli security forces (ISF), the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Human Rights crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Human Rights crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights Office on Friday raised the alarm about the growing human rights crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and James Rodehaver on fourth year since the coup in Myanmar

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and James Rodehaver on fourth year since the coup in Myanmar ENG FRA

At the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and the head of UN Human Rights Myanmar team James Rodehaver, describedunprecedented levels of killing in 2024, four years since the coup.

OPT Update UNRWA, WHO 31 January 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO , UNRWA

OPT Update UNRWA, WHO 31 January 2025 ENG FRA

The largest UN agency in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, UNRWA, said on Friday that its staff are still helping the people of Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem who depend on them “for their sheer survival”, a day after the Israeli parliament ban on its activities entered into force.

DRC humanitarian update OCHA - WFP - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , WFP , WHO

DRC humanitarian update OCHA - WFP - WHO ENG FRA

Goma: ‘Critical’ moment for population caught in crossfire – UN humanitarians

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), civilians caught up in heavy fighting face a “critical” 24 hours, with food and water running low and aid unable to enter, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.

Holocaust remembrance day

1

1

1

Edited News | UNOG

Holocaust remembrance day ENG FRA

Nazi death camp survivor Ivan Lefkovits shared harrowing testimony of his experiences on Monday to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, with a timeless message for present and future generations: “Don't be neutral, especially not towards human suffering." 

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said it was “deeply concerned by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank”, as part of an ongoing Israeli military operation.

UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani briefing on DRC

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani briefing on DRC ENG FRA

“We are deeply alarmed at the heightened risk of an attack by the M23 armed group on Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” Ravina Shamdasani said.