The UN said on Thursday that 28 million people face acute hunger in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a record for the country, a number that was driven by a growing conflict between the government and the rebels supported by Rwanda in the east.
A long -standing humanitarian crisis in RD Congo was aggravated by the conflict, with another 2.5 million people going acute hunger from the latest outbreak of violence in December, according to the World Food Program (PMA) and the United Nations Food and Food Organization (FAO) in a joint statement.
Those facing acute hunger are classified as phase 3 or higher in the Integrated Food Safety Phases (IPC) classification. Of the 28 million person in this situation in the country, 3.9 million are in phase 4, which means they are undergoing emergency hunger levels.
The country has a population of over 100 million inhabitants.
Combatos between the government and the M23 rebels supported by Rwanda have increased since the beginning of the year, creating the biggest conflict in eastern Congo in decades. The situation has moved hundreds of thousands of people.
“The current situation is terrible for the population, as harvests are lost, food prices are shot, millions of people face acute food insecurity and are increasingly vulnerable,” said Athman Mravili, FAO interim representative at RD Congo.
More than 10 million of the people who face acute hunger are in the east of Congo. In other parts of the country, the inflation and depreciation of the Congolese Franco made it difficult for many to have enough to eat, the statement explained.
The cuts of the United States and other important donors in their foreign aid have left humanitarian agencies with difficulties in responding to the impacts of conflict, natural disasters and climate change.
This content was originally published in UN warns that 28 million people face acute hunger at RD Congo on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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