Congolese president blames deadly Kinshasa flooding on climate injustice

The Democratic Republic of Congo has blamed climate change for widespread floods that have killed at least 140 people in the capital, Kinshasa.

A car is seen stuck after heavy rains caused floods and landslides on the outskirts of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo December 13, 2022. REUTERS - STRINGER

The torrential rains saw houses and roads ripped apart by sinkholes and landslides and flooded entire neighbourhoods.

"The DRC is under pressure but unfortunately it's not sufficiently heard or supported," President Felix Tshisekedi told Secretary of State Antony Blinken as they met at a US-Africa summit in Washington.

"Support must come from countries that pollute and unfortunately trigger the harmful consequences in our countries that lack the means to protect themselves," he said.

#RDC 🇨🇩| [Inondation de #Kinshasa] Le bilan officiel établi par le gouvernement mardi soir fait état de 141 morts, 38 787 foyers inondés, 280 maisons effondrées et 64 nouvelles têtes d'érosion créées. pic.twitter.com/EjAKONg5H5

— CONGORASSURE.CD (@congorassurecd) December 13, 2022

Vulnerable city

Rapid development in Kinshasa, which has a population of some 15 million, have made the city vulnerable to increasingly frequent flash flooding.

Blinken offered condolences for the loss of life, saying the flooding was "further evidence of the challenges we are facing with climate and something we need to work on together”.

Despite a series of international conferences, scientists say the planet is far off course from meeting a global goal of limiting warming at 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels.

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