The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing a serious food crisis, affecting nearly 26 million people in 2023. Faced with this alarming situation, the World Food Program (WFP) is launching an urgent appeal for the mobilization of funds, with a need of $567 million for the next six months.
According to the WFP, only additional financial aid will make it possible to maintain ongoing efforts and intensify food assistance in the regions most affected by food insecurity and conflict, notably Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
During 2023, WFP has already provided assistance to two million people in these three provinces. However, without new funds, the organization will be forced to reduce its assistance from October, thus worsening the already precarious situation of food insecurity in the region.
The food crisis in the DRC is one of the most serious in the world. According to the latest IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) assessments, approximately 25.8 million people are living in crisis and emergency level food insecurity, including 6.7 million in eastern provinces of the country.
In addition, more than 6.3 million people are internally displaced, mainly in the eastern provinces. These forced displacements have a devastating impact on communities, forcing them to abandon their homes and livelihoods.
WFP is stepping up its operations in the eastern provinces to meet the most urgent needs. Its objective is to provide food assistance to 3.6 million food-insecure people, including displaced people, host families and vulnerable communities.
It is therefore essential that additional funds are mobilized quickly to enable WFP to continue its life-saving assistance in the DRC. The situation is critical and every contribution counts to alleviate the suffering of the millions of people affected by the food crisis in the country.
Sources:
– World Food Program (WFP) press release: [insert link to press release]
– Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in the DRC: [insert source link]