FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 09/01 - CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF* (7 September)

CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF* (7 September)

Insecurity in the eastern parts of the country has worsened in recent weeks. A series of violent incidents near Bukavu, South Kivu province, have resulted in further loss of civilian lives and displacements of population. The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) as a result of the civil conflict, already estimated at 2 050 000 continues to increase. The nutritional and health situation of this population gives serious cause for concern. Less than half of the internally displaced people have direct access to relief assistance, which means that more than one million people are displaced with no kind of external assistance. Recent reports indicate that severe malnutrition rates among children under five have reached 26 percent in eastern parts of the country under rebel control. The food situation in large cities of western parts is also critical, particularly in Kinshasa and surrounding areas. In general, all the economic activities of the country have been affected by the conflict and it is estimated that more than one-third of the population, or 16 million people, have critical food needs as a result of prolonged displacement, isolation, lack of market outlets, severed food supply lines, price increases, and declining purchasing power. Recent assessment indicated a deterioration of the food situation in the Mbandaka area of Equateur province. While access to the displaced population in government-held areas has improved in recent months with partial implementation of the Lusaka Peace Accord, the retreat of foreign armies and strengthening of UN peachkeepers (MONUC), rebel-held areas remain inaccessible due to continuous violence.