Numerous African countries bordering the Nile Basin have been hit by a series of severe rainfall events leading to massive floods over the last two years. Since the beginning of 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a member of this basin, has been paying a heavy price with considerable human and material damage recorded across several of the country’s provinces.
The capital, Kinshasa, experienced a major catastrophe on April 4th and 5th, where the death toll was revised upwards by the government, reporting the deaths of 75 people and leaving over 11,000 victims.
In the eastern part of the country, the damage is also dramatic:
-North-Kivu (Butembo): The torrential rain on Thursday, October 30th, killed 7 people in the Kalemire and Mutiri neighborhoods, causing significant material damage. The victims are making an urgent appeal for assistance.
-North-Kivu (Masisi): On October 9th, floods severely affected the village of Lutobogo and the Sake Base neighborhood. The toll rose to three dead and three missing, leaving more than 200 households affected. Houses were destroyed, and devastated fields threaten food security. Victims had to take urgent refuge in churches, host families, or even in banana plantations.
-South-Kivu (Kalehe): On the night of November 2nd to 3rd, villages like Lukera and Kalangaro suffered enormous material damage, notably affecting the Kinyezire hospital, threatening the harvest, and risking leading to famines.
-Tanganyika (Kalemie): New floods following the rains on May 5th and 6th resulted in four deaths and nearly 1,800 victims. Lumumba Avenue was cut off, and 17 schools were destroyed or damaged. Installations belonging to the SNCC (national railway company) and public port services are out of operation.
MUNGUIKO THIERRY Horneyssie, a climate activist and journalist in the DRC, explains that the increased frequency of these floods in the Nile Basin countries (including, among others, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Egypt) is due to a combination of climatic and non-climatic factors. The main one is climate change, which leads to more intense rainfall and more frequent extreme weather events.
« These factors are amplified by the overexploitation of water resources and land degradation due to urbanization and deforestation, which reduce water infiltration and increase runoff. »
The specialist urges the population in at-risk areas to be cautious:
-Move to safety on an upper floor or move away from watercourses in the event of heavy rainfall.
-Stay informed via local media and follow instructions from authorities (Civil Protection).
-Cut off water, gas, and electricity networks, and be mindful of chemicals that could contaminate the water and its dependents.
Faced with this crisis, the DRC is positioning itself on the international stage. The Minister of State in charge of the Environment, Ève Bazaïba, announced that during the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) scheduled for Belém, Brazil, the DRC intends to consolidate its alliance with Brazil and Indonesia. Priorities include supporting the adoption of a perpetual fund for tropical forests and the establishment of a specialized center for the carbon market.
The DRC, just like the nine other African countries in the Nile Basin, is confronted with a pressing climate reality that requires both emergency intervention and long-term adaptation and resilience strategies.
By Patricia Hélène