Latest news with #LakeTanganyika
Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Photos: People in Burundi struggle amid Lake Tanganyika's endless flooding
Asha, a mother-of-four, found herself once again donning rubber boots inside her living room – the recurring cost of residing near Lake Tanganyika in Burundi, where climate change and relentless flooding have become a part of daily life. The graceful architecture of Gatumba – a town bordering the capital, Bujumbura – serves as a testament to its past prosperity. Yet for many, that memory feels remote. Increasingly, residents resort to pitching tents atop their roofs, as children drift between homes on makeshift rafts fashioned from plastic bottles. 'We've been underwater for years,' said Asha, aged 32. Lake Tanganyika is known for its cyclical fluctuations in water level, but these have been worsened by global warming, according to Bernard Sindayihebura, an urban planning and environment specialist at the University of Burundi. He explained that surface temperatures on Africa's second-largest lake have climbed steadily, leading to heavier rainfall and pushing the lake above its historical average since 2018. With the lake swollen, the Ruzizi River is unable to drain into it, resulting in persistent floods that inundate surrounding areas like Gatumba on the northern shore. The situation escalated in 2023, when Asha and her family were forced to flee a particularly severe flood. With water rising as high as her waist, she had to seek shelter in temporary accommodation nearby. The following year, and again this year, they were displaced repeatedly, as floodwaters engulfed entire neighbourhoods. Burundi ranks among the world's poorest nations, standing 187th out of 193 on the United Nations Human Development Index. The UN also lists it as one of the 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change. In 2024, pounding rains, magnified by the El Nino phenomenon, displaced nearly 100,000 people and claimed numerous lives, although no official figures have been released. Ariella, a mother of seven now residing in the Gateri camp for internally displaced people (IDP) in northern Burundi, spoke of losing everything in the 2020 Gatumba floods. Her house collapsed, and one of her babies was almost swept away by the floodwaters. The family moved between two different camps, only to be hit by floods again. 'We often wonder what our future will look like,' said Ariella. In Gatumba, community leader Jean-Marie Niyonkuru, 42, said residents are doing their best to cope, but conditions remain dire. 'Children suffer from diarrhoea because the water has mixed with toilet water, flooding the streets,' he said. 'There is a lot of cholera.' Save the Children is now appealing for assistance, but critical funding has dried up. Under President Donald Trump, 83 percent of United States humanitarian projects have been suspended, with climate-related programmes among those most at risk. The US previously provided 40 percent of global aid, and no other country has bridged the gap.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
More than 100 dead after flooding in eastern Congo, official says
BUKAVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (Reuters) - More than 100 people have died after flooding in a village near the shores of Lake Tanganyika in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a local official said. The flooding, which affected the village of Kasaba, comes at a vulnerable moment for the Central African nation. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have intensified an offensive in the eastern region since the start of the year, with thousands killed in fighting in the first two months of the year. Samy Kalodji, administrator of Fizi territory in South Kivu province where the village is located, said late on Saturday that reports from the area "indicated more than 100 deaths." The affected area is still under the administration of Kinshasa and is not among the zones taken by M23. Didier Luganywa, spokesperson for the South Kivu government, said in a statement the flooding incident occurred between Thursday night and Friday when torrential rains and strong winds caused the Kasaba river to overflow its banks. The statement gave a toll of 62 confirmed deaths with 30 injured. Local officials said the Kasaba area was only accessible via Lake Tanganyika and was not covered by the mobile phone network, which could delay humanitarian relief efforts.
Reuters
11-05-2025
- Climate
- Reuters
More than 100 dead after flooding in eastern Congo, official says
BUKAVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, May 11 (Reuters) - More than 100 people have died after flooding in a village near the shores of Lake Tanganyika in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a local official said. The flooding, which affected the village of Kasaba, comes at a vulnerable moment for the Central African nation. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have intensified an offensive in the eastern region since the start of the year, with thousands killed in fighting in the first two months of the year. Samy Kalodji, administrator of Fizi territory in South Kivu province where the village is located, said late on Saturday that reports from the area "indicated more than 100 deaths." The affected area is still under the administration of Kinshasa and is not among the zones taken by M23. Didier Luganywa, spokesperson for the South Kivu government, said in a statement the flooding incident occurred between Thursday night and Friday when torrential rains and strong winds caused the Kasaba river to overflow its banks. The statement gave a toll of 62 confirmed deaths with 30 injured. Local officials said the Kasaba area was only accessible via Lake Tanganyika and was not covered by the mobile phone network, which could delay humanitarian relief efforts.
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Youssouf Ndayishimiye: Burundi and Nice defender on his rise out of poverty
Growing up in Bujumbura, the largest city in Burundi, Youssouf Ndayishimiye always hoped that football would prove to be his route out of "unimaginable poverty". After becoming the most expensive player in his country's history when he joined Nice in 2023 for a reported €11.5m ($13m, £9.75m), the 26-year-old is certainly a world away from a childhood which included often going without food and lacking basic necessities. "I saw how much my mother loved us - but was unable to provide for us," he told BBC Great Lakes when recalling his early years. "I felt I had to work tirelessly so as to lift my family out of this poverty. I had a clear vision for my life." Bujumbura, located on the north-eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, is the commercial capital of a nation which is one of the world's poorest in terms of GDP per capita, according to the World Bank. Born in the Buyenzi area of the city, Ndayishimiye is the eldest of three siblings and has another five half-siblings. His family later moved to the "dumpsite neighbourhood" of Buterere. His skills on a football pitch helped him stand out even if, on occasion, he had to train barefoot. When bigger clubs came calling, he would even have to deal with bouts of jealousy from his peers. "One day I had to borrow boots from a friend when a second division club, Les Lierres, had agreed to sign me," he said. "I was devastated when he refused to lend me the boots [for a trial], but I didn't give up."
