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WFP Democratic Republic of Congo Country Brief, November 2019

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DR Congo
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WFP
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In Numbers October

5,541 mt of food assistance distributed

USD 2,474,616 million cash-based transfers made

USD166 million net funding requirement for January - June 2020

999,450 people assisted in October 2019

Operational Updates

Ebola Virus Disease (Ebola): More than 3,300 cases of Ebola have been reported since the beginning of the outbreak in August 2018. Although the number of cases reported in recent weeks has declined considerably, recent civil unrest and attacks against Ebola response teams in Beni, Butembo and Oicha interrupted response efforts, threatening to reverse progress made towards the containment of the virus.
Due to the heightened insecurity, WFP’s Ebola response activities, including food distributions, were temporarily interrupted, pending the stabilisation of the situation.
Normal operations resumed in early December and WFP continues to monitor the situation.

L3 Emergency distributions: WFP’s corporate L3 Emergency, covering seven provinces (Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tanganyika, Kasai, Kasai Central and Kasai Oriental), has been extended until April 2020, considering the heightened food security situation across the country. In tandem, WFP continues to provide food and nutrition assistance to Ebolaaffected people in North Kivu, Ituri and South Kivu provinces.

North and South Ubangi: Heavy rains since mid-October have led to flooding in the north-west of the country, particularly in North and South Ubangi, Mongala and Equateur provinces. Affected communities are generally food insecure and serve as host communities to refugees from the Central African Republic. WFP plans to provide emergency relief assistance through unrestricted cash transfers, targeting 50,000 people in North and South Ubangi. A rapid market and food security needs assessment is underway.
This will help inform the response design, including the targeting and duration of assistance.

Kasai and Kasai Central: Since mid-August, thousands of Congolese returnees from Angola have recently returned to Kasai and Kasai Central provinces. WFP has provided returnees with a combination of cash and in-kind food assistance. Some 15,500 returnees have received cash assistance, with 25,000 returnees receiving in-kind food assistance, including high-energy biscuits. In response to the alarming nutrition situation, WFP has also distributed specialized nutritious food to almost 1,600 returnees for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition.

South Kivu: Following the onset of inter-ethnic clashes in the highlands and middle plateaus of Fizi territory in May, WFP has been providing in-kind food assistance in Mwenga and Itombwe, reaching an average of 50,000 people each month. In October, operations were scaled up to double the caseload. Food has also been provided in Minembwe and Mikenge, but distributions have been limited by access constraints caused by poor road conditions. A partial rehabilitation of roads enabled distributions to some 8,500 people in September and October, however, distributions were subsequently interrupted following a resumption of armed conflict. In November, WFP resumed in-kind food assistance in Mikenge. Poor road conditions, however, continue to delay the delivery of food to distribution sites.

North Kivu: The Congolese armed forces have launched a military offensive against armed groups. This has led to subsequent retaliation by armed groups, who have killed at least 100 people in Beni and Oicha since the launch of the offensive. Mass protests and violent attacks by civilians against MONUSCO and UN agencies hindered humanitarian operations in late November and early December. WFP nonetheless continues to provide food assistance to internally displaced people in Masisi and Rutshuru, subject to security and access constraints. New displacements have been reported in these areas and WFP is conducting multisectoral assessments to determine the current needs.

School feeding: WFP continues to support school feeding to facilitate access to schools and promote school attendance. From January to August, WFP provided school meals to 68,000 pupils in North Kivu. This intervention has expanded to Tanganyika and Kasai Central provinces, with 120,000 students to be assisted between September 2019 and June 2020.