WFP D. R. Congo External Situation Report #24 07 May 2021 In Numbers Highlights in April 2021 27.3 mi highly food-insecure people • The new 57-member government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) led by Prime Minister Sama 26 provinces affected Lukonde Kyenge was approved by the National Assembly and was sworn in on Monday 26 April. 5.2 mi people displaced • President Tshisekedi on 30 April declared a state of siege 2.9 mi beneficiaries reached since in North Kivu and Ituri, reaffirming his determination to the beginning of 2021 put an end to the massacres of civilians in the two provinces. • ministerial cabinets have been completed, the new government is now able to start work. Total funding • New government programme presented: the requirements USD 662.5 mi Government’s programme, valued at USD36 in 2021 billion for the period 2021-2023 is articulated around 15 pillars grouped into 4 major sectors WFP 6-months Net Funding including politics, justice, and public administration; economy and finance; Requirements (May – Oct 2021) reconstruction of the country; and social affairs. Some of the Government’s priorities include the In-kind Food Assistance USD 50.7 mi need to improve the living conditions of the population, particularly in the areas of housing, Cash Food Assistance USD 59.0 mi health, education and employment; the organization of elections in 2023; the implementation of universal health coverage; the Nutrition USD 10.3 mi strengthening of the state authority countrywide; the fight against all the armed groups and Other activities USD 10.0 mi militias; the promotion and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law, etc. It has been Total USD 130.0 mi announced that it is unlikely that the government will be able to finance the complete programme. • New government’s impact on WFP operations: with the new Government in place, Situation Update WFP can resume efforts to obtain the Letter of Understanding necessary for the implementation • DRC's new government sworn in: the new 57- of its Country Strategic Plan. member government of the Democratic Republic • State of siege declared in North Kivu and of the Congo (DRC) led by Prime Minister Sama Ituri for 30 days: President Tshisekedi on 30 Lukonde Kyenge was approved by the National April declared a state of siege in North Kivu and Assembly and was sworn in on Monday 26 April. Ituri, reaffirming his determination to put an end A total of 410 MPs voted in favor of the new to the massacres of civilians in the two provinces. government's programme, which was presented On 3 May Tshisekedi said the state of siege would to the 500-member National Assembly earlier. In take effect Thursday 6 May. Civilian provincial February, Kyenge succeeded Sylvestre Ilunga authorities will be replaced by military authorities. Ilunkamba, then-Prime Minister deposed by The latter half of April saw a continuation of parliament in late January following a crisis within protests and anti-UN activity throughout North the coalition formed and shared by the Congolese Kivu (Beni, Butembo, Goma). There was also a president Felix Tshisekedi and his predecessor shutdown of operations in Bunia during the Joseph Kabila. With handover ceremonies at the second half of April due to a Ville Morte protest prime minister’s office and at the various against the endemic insecurity throughout the Photo credit: Fredrik Lerneryd/WFP. Maitre with his older brother Philipo outside their house in Kalemie, in WFP D.R. Congo External Situation Report #24 Feb 2021. Maitre became malnourished in 2020 after the family was displaced due to conflict and having to Page | 1 face higher food prices because of the COVID-19 pandemic. WFP provided him with ready-to-use 07 May 2021 supplementary food for treatment of moderate acute malnutrition. He has now made a full recovery but his mother worries about him relapsing. region. The region is averaging about 100 civilian efforts. In April, MONUSCO announced its deaths per week with no clear solution in sight. departure from the Kasai region in June 2021 and The Republic of Kenya has proposed troop from the Tanganyika region in 2022. contributions to the SADC-supported Force Consequently, WFP and other stakeholders Intervention Brigade (FIB). On a positive note, formulated a series of strategic interventions to routes that had been restricted in Ituri due to address this new reality; for example, from 26 to security concerns have reopened and a stressed 28 April, a NEXUS operationalization workshop supply chain was partially relieved. was held in Kananga for the regions of Kasai and Kasai Central to articulate the role and activities • Impact of the state of siege on WFP of the different actors in the region. This operations: an anticipated increase in military workshop had the participation of various UN activity risks causing delays in distributions in the agencies, members of the Kasai and Kasai Central two provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. provincial governments, donors, civil society • Ebola: on 3 May, the 12th Ebola outbreak in DR organizations, and national and international Congo’s North Kivu province was declared over, NGOs. The discussions focused on: prioritization almost three months after the first case was of the intervention areas; mapping of actors and reported in the province. Overall, eleven activities in the priority areas; gaps’ identification, confirmed cases and one probable case resulted and the main axis of intervention and coordination in six deaths and six recoveries were recorded in of NEXUS activities. four health zones of North Kivu since 07 February, • New FNG results: during the month of April, the when the Ministry of Health announced the Fill the Nutrient Gap (FNG) results and resurgence of Ebola in Butembo. DRC’s Ministry of recommendations were formulated, validated, Public Health, with the support of concerned UN and disseminated through two separate meetings agencies and other partners, will compile a in Kinshasa targeting the technical staff of strategic response plan that aims to mobilize institutions and organisations and high-level resources and guide the operational framework political audience. Some of the major findings of for the implementation of post-epidemic the FNG are: activities. This post-Ebola plan will also make it possible to preserve the achievements of the o Despite the vast size and immense interventions already carried out. WFP continues potential for sustainable food supply, to closely monitor how the situation evolves on the DRC does not produce enough food the ground and will continue to provide support to and relies heavily on expensive imports post-Ebola affected communities. to meet the needs of its population. • COVID-19: as of 3 May, the total number of o Secondly, agricultural productivity in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Democratic DRC is low. Improved agricultural Republic of Congo was 30,071, and 770 deaths. techniques could increase yields, thus The main province affected is Kinshasa with a growing the availability of nutritious total of 20,923 cases. On 19 April, the foods and strengthening livelihoods. o Government started the COVID-19 vaccination It was also indicated that a nutritious diet is unaffordable for half the campaign with 1.7 million vaccines already in the population due to the high cost of country. As of 2 May, 4,331 people had received nutritious foods and low food availability the first dose of the vaccine. On 1 May, the UNCT in certain provinces. started to register staff interested in the parallel o Additionally, the rural environment UN vaccination campaign. The organization has presents heightened nutrition received 25,000 vaccines and plans to roll it out challenges, with 65% of households in five main vaccination sites: Kinshasa, Bunia, estimated to be unable to afford a Beni, Goma, and Bukavu. DRC continues to nutritious diet. This requires a localised, sustain a curfew period from to 10 pm to 4 am for opportunity-based and coordinated selected provinces with prevailing high number of rural approach. positive cases (including Kinshasa), while it was lifted in Mid-April in the rest of the less affected WFP Response provinces. Movements are only allowed on • Under the Country Strategic Plan 2021-2024, WFP exceptional basis (health and travels). continues with its large-scale assistance, • WFP’s support to the UN Integrated targeting 8.7 million people with food and Transition plan: the UN Security Council in its nutrition assistance throughout 2021. resolution 2502 (2019) requested the Secretary- General to engage with the government to enable • Overview: in 2021, WFP has already reached 2.9 a progressive transfer of MONUSCO’s tasks to the mi people with either in-kind, cash, or Nutrition Congolese authorities, United Nations Country food assistance. Throughout April alone, WFP Team (UNCT) and other stakeholders. The joint assisted some 815,000 beneficiaries. strategy was presented and ratified in October • General Food Distribution in-kind and cash- 2020; WFP is part of the Integrated Transition based transfers: in April, in-kind distributions Team ever since and is constantly supporting its reached 319,000 beneficiaries. For cash-based Page | 2 WFP D.R. Congo External Situation Report #24 07 May 2021 transfers, WFP reached 213,000 beneficiaries in distribution of HEB from Yakoma (1.1 MT already the DRC. April distributions were severely done) and Gbadolite (4.9 MT) to be distributed in disrupted by the protests, dire security situation Limasa and Gomba in favor of 1,900 households in some provinces, road accessibility challenges, (7,000 individuals). Concomitantly, WFP and commodities’ congestion across the country concluded the preparation of direct cash (see Supply Chain below); this altered the distributions to new Central African refugees in implementation plans as well for May.