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The food supply situation "remains bleak" in the region due to the combined effects of civil strife, insecurity, shortage of inputs and erratic rainfall, a report from FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) stated on Monday. In Burundi, food supply was tight due to drought, population displacement - particularly in the government's regroupment camps, from which most people did not have access to their
fields - and increased insecurity, especially in the provinces of Rutana, Makamba and Bujumbura Rural, the report on food supply and crop prospects stated. In the DRC, food shortages and malnutrition were reported to be particularly poor in the Ituri district of Province Orientale, northeastern Katanga and South Kivu, especially in parts that continue to be inaccessible due to insecurity.
Rwanda had enjoyed a significant improvement in food production and a decline in food aid requirements, the report stated. However, it said Rwanda had persistent food supply difficulties in some parts, especially in the northwestern province of Ruhengeri and in eastern and southern provinces affected by drought in October 1999. Greater volumes of food assistance to help war-displaced populations in Burundi and the DRC, and
to support the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector in Rwanda, were a priority, the report added.
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