Rwanda: Floods and Landslides Kill At Least 130

Facts

• On Wednesday, Rwandan authorities said at least 130 people have been killed in the country's northern and western provinces from extreme flooding and landslides, with six deaths reported in neighboring Uganda.¹
• Heavy downpours that occurred overnight followed weeks of rain, damaging infrastructure and homes. Nyandwi Emmanuel, a renter in the Karongi district in western Rwanda, said three relatives were killed when their home collapsed on them as they slept.²
• Rwanda's Pres. Paul Kagame has ordered rescue operations to aid those who remain trapped or stranded, as the government-backed newspaper, New Times, reported: 'This could be the highest disaster-induced death toll to be recorded in the country in the shortest period.'³
• Rwanda has witnessed devastating rainfall and flooding in 2023, with the Ministry of Emergency Management (MINEMA) reporting that between Jan. 1-April 20, 60 people died, more than 1.2K homes were destroyed, and nearly 5K acres of land were damaged due to weather-related disasters.⁴
• MINEMA also reported that the northern province had seen more than 1.5K weather-related disasters over the last five years, resulting in the deaths of more than 200 people and the destruction of countless homes.⁵
• The Rwanda Meteorology Agency has linked the increased rainfall events to climate change, as a warming climate can lead to increased atmospheric saturation and, ultimately, increased rainfall events.¹

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²Reuters, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴NBC and ⁵CNN.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by New York Times. Reports have shown that human-caused climate change is causing a significant increase in the number of severe flooding events taking place across eastern and western Africa. At the very same time, the areas are becoming more populated, with land being used for settlements and farming. The result is catastrophic devastation with every heavy rainfall. Authorities must stop expansion into these areas or relocate the existing residents to safer regions. Otherwise, there will continue to be fatal consequences.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Brookings. Africa accounts for just 2% of the world's demand for coal and its emissions are minute. Yet, the continent is significantly and disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change. Wealthier states — such as the US — that have benefited from decades of using fossil fuels and other unsustainable practices to enrich themselves at the cost of other countries need to compensate for their actions and support struggling nations like Rwanda and Uganda.

Predictions