FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 11/01 - CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF* (5 November)

CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF* (5 November)

Civil strife intensified in eastern parts during the past month. Planting of the 2002 A season crops is underway in the Kivu region but insecurity is hindering farming activities. Serious insecurity incidents have been reported in the Plains of Ruzizi and Uvira in South Kivu province. Systematic looting by armed groups is reported in Kalonge, while movements of troops to Bunyakiri, Hombo and Nyabibwe have resulted in new population displacements. Insecurity is also hampering distribution of humanitarian assistance.

Elsewhere in the country, insecurity has also hindered distribution of food assistance in the southeastern province of Katanga, where the food supply situation is reported to be extremely serious. WFP is currently airlifting food to the districts of Nyunzu, Manono, Kabalo, Kongolo, Kiambi and Mulongo. There is particular concern for the food situation in Kiambi, where WFP reports malnutrition rates among the highest in DRC at 32 percent, and mortality rates among children under five years are also very high. While food aid in the pipeline is adequate for emergency operations, additional assistance is needed for funding transport of humanitarian workers to the worst affected areas.

The food situation in large cities in the west 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. A recent study by the Ministry of Agriculture indicates that as a result of the political and economic crisis, agricultural production in the country has declined by 2.8 percent annually in the last four years, with production of maize decreasing 13 percent. On average, the caloric deficit of the population is estimated at 20.3 percent.