The authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have decreed three days of national mourning for the death of at least 120 people due to heavy rains in the capital, Kinshasa, which have caused floods and landslides in the city.
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, who is in the United States for an international summit, announced the decision and his early return to the African country after his meeting with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden.
The Congolese Presidency has indicated on its account on the social network Twitter that the president «has decided to decree a three-day national mourning from this Wednesday, December 14, 2022, and to shorten his trip to the United States to return to Kinshasa on Thursday, December 15».
«The head of state, who is following every hour the evolution of the situation, has ordered the government, under the mandate of the Prime Minister, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, to take charge of the situation of the victims of the floods,» he said.
Thus, the Deputy Prime Minister for the Interior, Daniel Aselo, has detailed that the funeral ceremonies will be organized by communes and has conveyed the «deepest condolences to all the bereaved families» because of the floods, recorded since Monday night.
On the other hand, Sama Lukonde confirmed the start of the rehabilitation works on the national highway 1, cut off at the level of the commune of Mont Ngafula because of the material damage caused by the rains and landslides.
The mayor of Kinshasa, Gentiny Ngobila, has asked the population «to show collective awareness of the imperative need to respect urban planning rules and to avoid building in prohibited areas and not to throw dirt into rivers and canals whose function is to allow the drainage of rainwater».
