Bishops voice solidarity with Kinshasa flooding victims

‘For two days, Kinshasa was torn apart – its people stranded, helpless, and mourning,’ said Fr Patrick Lonkoy Bolengu.

Catholic bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo expressed their spiritual solidarity with the people of Kinshasa and its surrounding areas in the wake of devastating floods that swept through the city on 5-6 April, claiming at least 33 lives.

Torrential rains caused the Ndjili River, which runs through Kinshasa, to overflow. Severe flooding that destroyed more than 30,000 homes, according to the Public Health Ministry.

In a statement on 7 April, Congolese bishops voiced their profound sorrow at the loss of life and widespread destruction.

“At a time when our country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, is grappling with a security crisis and striving for peace, we now face the heart-breaking consequences of the torrential rains that fell on the night of 4-5 April 2025.”

“The floods have claimed lives and caused severe material damage,” they said in a statement signed by the president of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) Archbishop Fulgence Muteba of Lubumbashi. “We share in the suffering of all those affected.”

CENCO acknowledged the emergency measures implemented by the Congolese government to provide relief and shelter for the displaced. They appealed to humanitarian organisations and all people of good will to extend support to the victims.

Offering their prayers and compassion to those impacted by the disaster, the bishops invoked the intercession of Our Lady of Congo, asking Christ to “heal the wounds of the injured and restore courage and hope to those who have lost everything”.

Residents continue to assess the aftermath of the catastrophe. Local priest Fr Patrick Lonkoy Bolengu offered a harrowing depiction of the grief and hardship faced by the people.

“For two days, Kinshasa was torn apart – its people stranded, helpless, and mourning,” he said. “Today, 33 of our brothers and sisters have lost their lives, 46 are hospitalised, and 2,956 have been forced into temporary shelters,” he told the ACI-Africa agency.

“The cries of children echo through flooded streets. Mothers search desperately for remnants of their homes. The elderly sit in silence—some in despair, others in prayer,” he said.

Caritas Congo called for support and assistance for the victims.

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