Millions of lives could be lost unless nations offer more help to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic are stoking one of the world’s worst hunger crisis, the United Nations World Food Programme warned. “So many Congolese are on the edge, and in even greater danger now of being tipped over the edge”, said Claude Jibidar, the head of WFP operations in the country. Four in ten of DRC’s estimated 100 million people are short of food, according to the most recent nationwide data, with 15.6 million suffering “crisis” or “emergency” hunger.
WFP needs another US$172 million to be able to fully implement its emergency operation in the country over the next six months. It plans to support 8.6 million people this year – including almost a million of those hit hardest by the pandemic – up from a record 6.9 million reached in 2019. But without the necessary funding, food rations and cash assistance will have to be cut. The 3.4 million Congolese children suffering from acute malnutrition are at immediate risk of cuts to WFP’s operations, the UN agency warned.
Malnutrition is particularly pervasive in the east of the country, where decades of brutal conflict has forced millions from their homes – many of them numerous times. In the first half of 2020, almost a million people were uprooted from their homes due to new violence. Most of the more than five million Congolese who have fled from one part of the country to another live in makeshift camps and urban areas with poor sanitation and healthcare, making the displaced especially susceptible to COVID-19.
Adding to this are killer diseases, malaria and cholera, exacerbating the hunger challenge. A new large-scale outbreak of measles in the central Kasai region has significantly increased the risk of fatalities among malnourished children. This year’s harvest is again expected to be below-average in much of DRC because of drought, flooding and pest infestations, as well as farmers’ limited access to their fields, owing to conflict and COVID-19 movement restrictions.
