Food situation in north “catastrophic”

Diplomatic sources have stressed that the food situation in Kirundo and Muyinga provinces is “catastrophic” and requires emergency intervention. Both provinces, traditionally the country’s breadbasket, have suffered two consecutive years of drought. Cultivation of beans, one of the main crops, is rare, especially now that many residents of Kirundo have fled the drought into neighbouring countries such as Rwanda and Tanzania. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is supplying the drought-affected areas with seeds and provisions. The sources also said the price of beer has increased by nearly 85 percent in rural areas, indicating growing insecurity on road axes. Many suppliers are refusing to transport beer upcountry due to a growing number of road ambushes and attacks.