Attachments
Highlights
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In 2019, WFP continues its corporate emergency response interventions, with the aim of assisting 5.1 million people with food assistance and nutrition programmes and has already reached 2.1 million people during the first quarter.
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Now eleven months since the beginning of the Ebola outbreak, the epidemic continues, with over 2,300 cases and 1,500 deaths reported. WFP continues to provide critical operational support to the medical response teams and provides food and nutrition assistance to Ebola affected people.
Situation Update
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DRC is the world’s second largest hunger crisis, with 13 million people living in acute food insecurity and 4.9 million children suffering from acute malnutrition. Humanitarian operations are hampered by inter-ethnic conflict, armed clashes and a volatile security situation. Conflict between armed groups in Ituri province led to large scale displacement in May and June, bringing the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the province to approximately 360,000 people. Ethnic clashes late last year led to the death of over 575 people in Yumbi, Mai-Ndombe province, and the displacement of thousands. Since October 2018, over 700,000 Congolese nationals have been forcibly removed from Angola, arriving in DRC with minimal resources and in dire need of support. Furthermore, the ongoing spontaneous surrender of armed groups in Kasai and Kasai Central provinces, coupled with rising crime rates, has led to heightened tension and increased insecurity. The situation jeopardises the hard-won peace and stability in these areas, following intense conflict in 2017.
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Political developments: On 20 May, DRC President, Felix Tshisekedi appointed Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, a career politician, as the next Prime Minister of the country, four months after the presidential inauguration. Discussions regarding the formation of the new government are ongoing.
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Ebola: DRC’s tenth Ebola outbreak is the worst in the country’s history, and the second largest and deadliest outbreak globally. Ongoing insecurity repeatedly interrupts the medical response and led to a sharp increase in Ebola cases and contacts in recent months. Over 2,300 cases and just over 1,500 deaths have been reported so far, with new cases reported each day. New cases have been confirmed in Uganda, with increased risk of the virus spreading across other neighbouring borders due to the fluid movement of people. This calls for increased coordination and collaboration and greater efforts to combat the outbreak. Preparedness measures are in place within DRC and in neighbouring countries to ensure that WFP has the capacity to respond effectively and timely. WFP provides food assistance, critical logistical services and operational support to the medical response teams, enabling a swift response in affected remote areas.
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Insecurity: A general rise in crime and armed clashes in recent months has increased the level of insecurity in Level 3 emergency provinces including Ituri, South Kivu and Kasai Central. This rising insecurity has a negative impact on WFP staff security and operations. A recent prison escape in Kasai Central, and the demobilisation of rebels who are yet to be reintegrated into society, has led to increased crime, affecting WFP field staff directly. In Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu provinces, armed clashes between government forces and rebels continue to lead to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people.