Soaring prices of basic necessities continue to wreak havoc in several regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the province of Irumu, the vertiginous rise in the prices of agricultural products, in particular beans, groundnuts and plantain bananas, worries sellers and buyers.
According to the sellers interviewed, this increase is explained by the growing insecurity in several localities of Irumu which prevents farmers from cultivating their fields effectively. Residents can no longer access their fields for fear of being attacked. From Komanda to Luna, the region is deserted, especially the Masome side.
Faced with this situation, housewives fear insufficient food for their children and the resulting illnesses. The coordination of civil society in the Irumu region had however authorized farmers to frequent certain forests for their pastoral activities after a military operation carried out in the region. Unfortunately, a few months later, some farmers were executed by the militiamen.
The military authorities are singled out for their inability to restore security in these regions where the population survives mainly thanks to agriculture. According to civil society, it is imperative that the authorities take measures to track down illegal arms holders in order to guarantee security in the region.
This surge in the price of agricultural products in the province of Irumu illustrates the difficult situation in which many populations find themselves in several regions in the DRC. Beyond security measures, it is necessary to support agriculture in these regions to avoid falling into a food crisis situation. Initiatives aimed at strengthening the agricultural sector, such as that of Harish Jagtani and his foundation, which mobilized more than 80 tonnes of food for the victims of the landslide in Kalehe, are essential to guarantee the food security of the populations.