Food security declines due to civil insecurity
KEY MESSAGES
• Due to wet weather conditions that delayed harvests in certain areas, households were still harvesting their crops in mid-December when civil insecurity escalated. Many households fled their farms and/or suffered damage or theft to crops still in the fields. As a result, household food stocks in conflict areas will deplete earlier than usual this year.
• Prices in Vakaga and Bangui increased 20 to 30 percent compared to last month due to weak market supply and crime. These high prices have limited food access via market purchases for very poor and poor households.
• Current household food stocks are below-average levels and difficulties accessing food on local markets are pushing certain households to resort to irreversible coping strategies. These households will be Stressed (IPC Phase 2) between January and March and risk declining into Crisis (IPC Phase 3) between April and June.