The 1998 cereal output is estimated to be about average. Food prices decreased following the harvest and the food supply situation is satisfactory. Food supply difficulties are likely in northern areas. A WFP Emergency Operation provided 6 000 tonnes of relief food for 210 000 people in the extreme north in 1998. A new WFP operation is under preparation for the distribution of 9 500 tonnes of food to 660 000 persons for six months.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (15 February)
Reflecting generally abundant and widespread rains, a good cereal crop has been gathered in late 1998. The food supply situation is satisfactory. For the 1999 marketing year (January/December), the cereal import requirement will remain close to 1998 level of 40 000 tonnes, mainly wheat. About 4 400 Congolese refugees are relocated to a new camp in Boubou area.
CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF* (22 February)
Increased population displacement by armed conflict is reported in Goma region in eastern DRC. A UN mission visited areas under RCD control to explore possibilities of emergency assistance to the displaced populations in the rebel-held areas. The assistance will consist of the distribution of seeds, agricultural implements and foodstuffs. In Kinshasa, the nutritional situation continues to deteriorate. Prices of basic food commodities increased sharply. Many of the agriculture areas that supply Kinshasa remain cut off, restricting many households' access to food. In addition, the transport of some food supplies from Kinshasa to Brazzaville reduced food availability. A recent survey of families on the outskirts of Kinshasa indicated that 90 percent of daily household expenditure goes on food.
The food supply situation remains tight in Lubumbashi, where flooding last year destroyed up to 70 percent of crops and where a large number of displaced people from the Kalemie, Nyunzu and Nyemba areas are reported. In the provinces of Bas Congo, Bandundu and Katanga, tens of thousands of refugees are reported coming from the Pool region in the Republic of Congo or from northern Angola, which has been affected by renewed fighting.
The food supply situation in Brazzaville has deteriorated significantly following an upsurge of fighting which caused new population displacement in the capital, notably from the two southern districts of Bacongo and Makelekele. In 1997, civil strife severely disrupted food marketing and caused large-scale displacement of the urban population. Food prices have increased sharply. Some 31 000 displaced people are totally dependent on humanitarian aid, living in several camps in the northern part of the city. Food and medical supplies are only sufficient until the end of February. Fighting also erupted in the Pool region in the south of the country, where there is a serious need for humanitarian assistance for displaced people. About 21 000 people fled the region to seek refuge in the province of Bas-Congo in DRC, while about 20 000 refugees are also reported in Pointe Noire
EQUATORIAL GUINEA (29 January)
In addition to the staple foodcrops of sweet potatoes, cassava and plantains, the annual cereal import requirement is some 10 000 tonnes. Food aid requirement in 1999 (January/December) is estimated at 2 000 tonnes of wheat and rice.
The main staple foodcrops are cassava and plantains, the production of which is estimated at about 330 000 tonnes. The country imports the bulk of its cereal consumption requirement, estimated at around 85 000 tonnes in 1999, all of which is brought in commercially.
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