“We do not know what to do right now. We do not even have water to drink or bathe with. We don’t know what we would do if the rain falls and meets us in the open air with all our children.” These are the words uttered by Jacky Tshibala, a resident of the Laurent Desire Kabila camp in Lemba, situated in the southeast of Kinshasa, the national capital of the DR Congo, where over 300 houses were razed to ashes.
A disturbing silence now reigns in the quarters, where parents and children this morning found themselves searching for any personal belongings that the fire might have spared.
One of the affected victims, who is a father and a policeman, reveals that the fire started at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning and spread with unprecedented rapidity to various residential houses.
“We were all taken by surprise at 2 a.m. in the morning by a fire we up to now don’t know its origin. I can tell you that the fire spread so fast that one was unable to save even a pin. Nothing was saved from the more than 300 houses that have been razed to the ground,” declared the policeman with a walkie-talkie in hand.
Another victim, Julie, told HumAngle that her husband was on an out-of-station assignment when their house was destroyed. She said she currently depends on neighbours who were not as badly affected as herself.
“Some of them have been giving us their pots with which we are using to cook in the open air. We are still perching outside not knowing where to pass the nights. I have personally lost everything except the clothes I am wearing now,” she said.
A group of women sitting on the ground and sweating from the hot temperature said they did not know what to do after the calamity. Some said they had not eaten anything or had a drop of water since the fire struck. They said they were also afraid the rain threatening the horizon might meet them still in the open air with their little children.
Students and primary school children too have been affected as most of them have lost their uniforms and school textbooks. Some of them can be seen sleeping in the open air while their parents struggle to find something for them to eat.
The victims say the vice prime minister in charge of the interior and security, Jacquemain Shabani, had during the day come to express his sympathy and had promised to arrange for assistance to the affected families. However, they had been waiting for the whole day without any indication of the help the vice prime minister promised.
As of now, every victim is sitting on the ruins of what was once their home while waiting for government assistance.
A devastating fire ravaged the Laurent Desire Kabila camp in Lemba, Kinshasa, destroying over 300 houses and leaving residents like Jacky Tshibala and Julie homeless. The fire, which started unexpectedly around 2 a.m., spread rapidly, preventing any belongings from being saved. Many victims, including children, are left without essentials, relying on neighbors for basic needs like cooking utensils and shelter.
Despite the vice prime minister, Jacquemain Shabani, promising aid, the affected residents have yet to receive any assistance. They face severe hardships, lacking food and water, as they wait for government support amid the threat of rain and challenging open-air living conditions.