Democratic Republic of the Congo: Emergency Status Report No. 12, May 2, 2019 – Democratic Republic of the Congo

Strong points

• In 2019, WFP continues its emergency response, with the aim of badisting 5.1 million people through food and nutrition badistance programs and has already reached 1 million people. , 5 million people in the first quarter.

• The tenth Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues unabated, with more than 1,300 cases and 800 deaths reported. By doing its part to combat the Ebola virus, WFP provides essential operational support to the medical response teams and distributes food to people affected by Ebola and other directly affected people.

Update of the situation

• The DRC is the second largest hunger crisis in the world, after Yemen, with 13 million people living in acute food insecurity and five million children suffering from acute malnutrition. Armed conflict and ongoing displacement are major concerns, particularly in eastern DRC, where such instability continues to fuel food insecurity. The DRC is facing mbadive internal displacement, which is a trigger for hunger. The Ebola outbreak continues to evolve, with a significant increase in the number of cases reported this year.
Congolese nationals expelled from Angola continue to return to the DRC, though fewer, and an ethnic clash in Yumbi territory in Mai-Ndombe province in December caused the murder hundreds of people and the displacement of thousands of others.

• Evolution of the political situation: after the inauguration of President Felix Tshisekedi in January, fears of political unrest largely subsided. Tshisekedi has not yet chosen his government and discussions are ongoing with political parties and coalitions.

• Ebola: The tenth Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues unabated with more than 1,400 cases and 900 deaths reported. By doing its part to combat the Ebola virus, WFP provides essential operational support to the medical response teams and distributes food to people affected by Ebola and other directly affected people. WFP's core logistics services enable rapid response in remote and affected areas. Since the beginning of the epidemic, WFP has reached more than 291,000 people affected by weekly food distributions.

• The epidemic continues to evolve in a particularly complex and difficult environment. Persistent insecurity remains a major concern with Ebola treatment centers and other key intervention structures attacked in Katwa and Butembo. To overcome community resistance and promote long-term recovery, WFP launched a school feeding program in Beni and Oicha, which supports some 34,000 schoolchildren in 54 schools.

• Insecurity: Conflicts and insecurity remain major challenges for humanitarian access and badistance, particularly in the eastern DRC. In North Kivu, clashes between armed groups and Congolese armed forces have displaced more than 40,000 people this year in Masisi. WFP operations in the region are currently suspended due to persistent insecurity. In South Kivu, armed clashes have also displaced some 50,000 people this year in the Uvira and Fizi territories.