In the territory of Kalehe, floods, mudslides or landslides are frequent. The latest is certainly one of the most dramatic that the region has known. More than 400 people died on Thursday May 4. But already in 2014, several hundred people had disappeared. The survivors were relocated to Ihusi.
With our special correspondent in Ihusi, Coralie Pierret
In 2014, Lavie Muniali was a fisherman and farmer in Rambira when tragedy struck his home and his village. Almost 10 years later, he has been relocated with 49 other families, but he is still struggling to make ends meet. ” Living here is difficult, I have children and living without land to cultivate is complicated. »
Impossible to return home since the site was banned by the authorities, deemed dangerous. In the region, landslides are frequent, recalls Désiré Makuta, president of the 2014 disaster victims. Previously, we did not know that where we were, disaster could arise. It was the first time, but I remember that on September 12, 2012, 9 people lost their lives. To get to where the disaster occurred in 2012, there is only one kilometer. »
Many residents live in high-risk, unmarked areas and are not prohibited from settling in.