Crop and food assessment under way

An inter-agency assessment mission, whose findings will be used as the basis for planning food and non-food interventions to mitigate food insecurity in Burundi, was currently under way throughout the country, WFP reported on Friday. The results of this exercise, involving the Ministry of Agriculture, FAO, WFP and UNICEF, were expected to be available in July, the report said. The findings, together with indicators for malnutrition, would be taken into account in order to establish priorities and plan beneficiary and food requirement figures for the second half of the year, WFP stated. Food Economy Assessment teams had visited 11 provinces to determine the food security situation and, although a decrease in malnutrition had been noted in some provinces, the situation remained fragile, the report added.

In regard to security, Bujumbura remained relatively calm, but the situation was unpredictable in many provinces, WFP reported. Many incursions and confrontations, as well as ambushes and the looting of livestock, were reported in the provinces, it said. Insecurity was now spreading in northern regions such as Kayanza and Muyinga, it added. UN Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator and Director of OCHA Ross Mountain, who recently visited Burundi, encouraged the government to ensure safe and unhindered access of humanitarian workers to all vulnerable populations.