The drame of kalehe, DRC. Study of the interactions beteen climate change, public prevention and human safety in mounainous Kivu

Abstract

The tragedy that occurred in Kalehe, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in May 2023, following torrential rains, highlights the urgent need to analyze the interactions between climate change, public prevention and human safety in the mountainous region of Kivu, also known as “Mountainous Kivu”. Mountainous Kivu, at the heart of the East African Rift Valley, is directly affected by the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events leading to flooding and landslides. Research points to an increase in extreme weather events, contributing to environmental instability and the vulnerability of local communities, most of whom depend on family farming. Weakly defined measures for adaptation and resilience to climatic disturbances, as well as gaps in public prevention policies, have amplified this vulnerability. This study explores the complex dimensions of the Kalehe tragedy, focusing on agrarian explanations. On the one hand, the study examines the dimensions of human security, considering socio-economic, political and environmental factors, in order to define measures to strengthen community resilience. Secondly, the study assesses existing public prevention policies in the region, identifying the strengths, weaknesses and gaps that contributed to the scale of the Kalehe tragedy. The methodology is based on data collection from documentary sources and unstructured interviews with resource persons in the field.