Increased population movements in the east at the height of the agricultural season A

Normal rainfall during the A cropping season in the northeast and central-east zones supported a normal cropping cycle, with maintenance work on food crops sown at the start of the season in October 2022. However, with rainfall disruptions in the south-eastern part of the country and increased population movements, production is expected to be lower than in the previous A season (2021-2022), adversely affecting food access for conflict-affected households.

The M23 crisis in Rutshuru territory has disrupted the area's supply channels for various products, both imported and local. The major flows of food products bound for the southern zone via Rutshuru have been reduced, creating low availability on the Goma and Bukavu markets and causing atypical increases in food prices ranging from 10 to 67 percent over the past three months.

Following the resumption of clashes between the Congolese army and M23 rebels, some 188,000 people were displaced between October and November 2022, according to OCHA. These new displaced persons are in addition to the 5.7 million in the DRC at the start of this year. This situation demonstrates poor coverage of needs and deteriorating food security for households dependent on this assistance.

In the northeast and central-east of the country, the peak of the lean season begins in November, with stocks from the B season depleted earlier than usual (in August) due to consecutive low production. As a result, households face difficulty with food access, causing consumption deficits in conflict-affected areas such as Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika, and placing these areas in a Crisis situation (IPC Phase 3).  Other areas in the central region (east and southeast) that had a full agricultural season, with minimally adequate food consumption, are Stressed (IPC Phase 2). Stable areas in the North, with no consumption deficit, are in Minimal (IPC Phase 1).