DRC: The river threatens, the communities resist
By Wassy Kambale
Tshopo Province, situated in the heart of the Congo Basin forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is grappling with multiple crises threatening people's lives and livelihoods. Recurrent flooding is destroying crops and making food scarce, and land disputes are fuelling intercommunal violence and dividing the society. Despite these challenges, local communities are resisting and showing great strength in a constantly changing environment.
Africa’s second-longest river, the Congo River, is a major threat for people in DRC’s Tshopo Province. For the past 10 years, the river’s recurrent flooding has destroyed people’s lives and livelihoods. Mandoko Atanga, 39, is just one of those people. The river was always a reliable source of life and abundance, nourishing her family and the entire community with its abundance of fish. But that sense of security no longer exists due to recurrent flooding.
In November 2023, Mandoko, her husband and their seven children evacuated their home when water submerged their village.
"We had no choice but to flee," she recounts. "We took refuge in a church on the hill, but we lost all our food stock. Fortunately, we received help from our relatives and community members."
Four months later, when the water receded, Mandoko and her family returned home. But what they saw was heartbreaking: mud-covered wooden debris was all that remained of their home.
"We’ve lost everything," she laments. "Now that the floodwaters have receded, we have gradually resumed our agricultural activities to survive.”
Mandoko's story represents how cyclic flooding has affected just one of thousands of households in the region. The recurring floods have displaced more than 108,000 people in Tshopo and destroyed more than 5,000 hectares of farmland and their harvests, disrupting agricultures and putting people at risk of acute food insecurity. People are struggling to feed themselves as food prices rise.
Fiston Basosila, an Agricultural Inspection Officer in Isangi, confirms the gravity of the situation:
"Last year, two agricultural seasons were lost due to the floods that submerged the villages. The consequences are disastrous: the price of a measure of rice has increased from 1,000 to 2,000 Congolese francs ($US0,3 to $US0,7) and the price of beans has increased from 2,500 to 6,000 Congolese francs ($US0,8 to $US2,14). People depend on agriculture and fishing to provide for their families. When the floods come, they lose almost everything."
Humanitarian non-governmental organization ACTED has distributed cash to help nearly 20,000 of the most vulnerable people and 25 water points were rehabilitated by UNICEF and its partners thanks to CERF funding. Families also need help to restart their agricultural activities, but humanitarian funding remains a big challenge.
The authorities are considering relocating certain communities to areas at less risk of flooding. However, this project raises serious concerns, as it could exacerbate the land tenure tensions that are rife in the region.
#Land conflicts fuel intercommunal violence
Tshopo Province is home to a crucial part of the Congo Basin forest, an essential carbon sink. However, the need to preserve the forest has reduced the space available for the subsistence activities of local communities, leading to tensions over land use. This delicate balance was further disrupted in February 2023, when a private company was granted more than 200 hectares for an agricultural project. The local communities saw this decision as a threat to the communal lands they rely on for their traditional livelihoods, including agriculture and livestock farming. Allegations of land sales by certain community members further increased the tensions, leading to violence that tragically resulted in more than 700 deaths and displaced 90,000 people since May 2023.
Rachel Amundu, 26, witnessed her 7-year-old daughter, Sophie, lose both arms in a brutal attack in their village in Lubunga.
"She did nothing wrong," she says.
In January 2024, Rachel, her husband and their five children were about to have dinner when they heard screams urging them to flee. By the time they realized what was happening, it was too late; armed men had surrounded their house. As they tried to escape, a machete blow smashed her husband to the ground. Rachel fled with her children, but Sophie stayed near her father. The armed men hacked off her arms with a machete.
When the armed men left, neighbours helped and took them to the hospital. Rachel later learned that her husband and daughter had also been taken to the hospital, and she quickly joined them. "I was outraged upon seeing them," she recounts.
Thanks to humanitarian organizations, Sophie and her father received free medical care. They left the hospital four months later and now live with other displaced people near a church in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo Province.
"My daughter's life will never be the same again," says Rachel. "How could she return to school without her two arms?"
Recent scientific studies in the Yangambi forest reserve revealed a worrying increase in temperatures and extreme weather events in Tshopo Province. This is mainly due to rampant deforestation, which has devastating effects on local populations' agricultural yields and food security.
Benjamin Bisimwa, from the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry, is coordinating initiatives to preserve this green lung. He explains:
"We're trying to create a microclimate around us, but it's difficult to maintain and we need more engagement. If we must act, then we all must act."
Working with the communities, Benjamin tirelessly promotes sustainable agricultural practices, empowering and enhancing people’s strengths. Together, they plant trees, develop profitable agricultural value chains and provide quality seeds.
"We need local actions to achieve global objectives," he explains. “These community initiatives are essential to preserving the forest and saving the planet.”
Humanitarians strive to help Sophie and many other families at the church site, but the needs far exceed their capabilities.
In June, a group of humanitarian organizations visited Kisangani and the Lubunga community. They noted the critical need for solutions to help affected people while addressing the root causes of the land-related conflict that is tearing communities apart. This approach combines the efforts of local authorities, humanitarian organizations, and peacebuilding and development agencies.
Isangi’s local communities have also developed an innovative solution to adapt their house-building style to the changing environment. Called the Likengo, it involves raising houses on wooden stilts to protect them from high tides during floods.
Abeti Itenga, a resident of Isangi, explains how it helped her during the floods:
"During the recent floods, I didn't have to leave my home. I used a small wooden canoe to get food. I know the water can recede, but I prefer to stay here. I'd instead build a bigger house with a Likengo."
In addition to the continued mobility the Likengo offers in flood situations, it symbolizes Isangi residents’ strong attachment to their homeland.
"I can't leave here," Itenga says. “This is the land of my ancestors."