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Africa Live: Nairobi 'overwhelmed' by raging floods - senator - BBC News Africa Live: Nairobi 'overwhelmed' by raging floods - senator - BBC News
(about 1 hour later)
Flooding in Kenyan capital city Nairobi has "escalated to extreme levels" and local authorities are "clearly overwhelmed", a senator has warned. Several leaders and members of Islamist militant groups in West Africa have been sanctioned by the US for holding American citizens hostage.
Edwin Sifuna, who oversees Nairobi county, raised the alarm on social media platform X while posting footage showing an entire neighbourhood inundated by muddy floodwater. They include leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Mali-based al-Murabitoun.
In the clip, residents can be seen trapped on the roof of their house. “JNIM relies on hostage-taking and wrongful detention of civilians in order to gain leverage and instil fear, creating anguish and misery for the victims and their families,” Treasury official Brian E. Nelson said in a statement.
Hundreds of others in Nairobi and nearby areas were also marooned by floods following heavy rains overnight. "Treasury will continue to use all tools at our disposal to hold accountable those who seek to hold our citizens hostage," he added.
"We need all national emergency services mobilised to save lives," Mr Sifuna said. The sanctioned militants assisted, sponsored, or supported the kidnapping or wrongful detention of US citizens in West Africa, a statement by the US Treasury said.
The East African nation has been witnessing heavy rains for weeks. The US Treasury and Department of State, which both imposed the sanctions, said "all property and interests in property" held by the targetted individuals in the US were "blocked".
On Wednesday morning, Kenya Railways said the floods had affected rail lines, making it hard for trains to operate. Americans are also banned from transacting with the sanctioned militants, who are from Mali, Algeria, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.
The company said safety concerns had compelled it to suspend services. The sanctions come as West Africa's troubled Sahel region battles a wave of insurgency from groups linked to both Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
Major highways, including Mombasa Road and Thika Road, were submerged by floodwater, causing traffic jams during peak hours in the morning.
The busy Namanga Road, heading to the Tanzanian border, was overwhelmed after the nearby Athi River burst its banks on Wednesday morning.
Red Cross Kenya says its response teams are operating in most of the flooded areas, evacuating families to safety and providing other life-saving interventions.
Residents of some estates in Nairobi have also been left homeless after their houses were submerged by the raging floods.
The downpours are forecast to continue.
About 35 people have died since last month in flooding and more than 100,000 affected, according to the UN, which cites Red Cross figures in the most recent update.
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