Warning over severe malnutrition in S.Kivu

A group of UN agencies and NGOs in South Kivu have addressed an alert to the international community warning over severe malnutrition in the region. The document, sent to IRIN on Thursday, said an estimated 250,000 people were at immediate risk of life threatening levels of malnutrition. "Famine is knocking at the door," the report warned. The situation was due to drought, poor soil, erosion, refugees and exacerbated by ongoing war in the region which had caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. If assistance is not received soon, "the misery affecting the province could spiral into a very serious humanitarian catastrophe", the report warned. To address immediate needs, the aid organisations are requesting 15,000 mt of food ready for distribution to displaced and local people, as well as 1,600 mt of seeds to allow families to plant for this month's major agricultural season.