CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF * (15 April) UNF/FS

The food supply situation is critical in the east where insecurity persists and severe malnutrition is reported among the remaining refugees. In South Kivu, the recently harvested A-season bean crop is reported to be well below average while prospects for the next crop now being planted are unfavourable due to a shortage of seed. Increased civil strife in both North and South Kivu has resulted in considerable population displacements, while recent flooding has impeded the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Food prices have increased sharply in Uvira due to the difficulty in transporting goods along the traditional supply line which has been partially blocked by floods.

Torrential rains since January have caused flooding and landslides in several regions, leading to an outbreak of cholera in North and South Kivu. A second outbreak of cholera has been reported in the Kasindi area of Mutwanga near the Ugandan border. Flooding has also affected the towns of Mbandaka in the north and Kalemie in the southeast, as well as Kinshasa in late March.