IR-EMOP - Emergency Food Assistance for populations affected by the conflict in the Kasai region

This immediate response emergency operation (IR-EMOP) will be implemented in the Kasai and Kasai Central provinces, where more than 85 percent of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are situated. The majority of the IDPs are farmers in the Tshikapa, Kananga, Dibaya and Luiza towns/Territories.

An upsurge of armed clashes that erupted in August 2016 between the Congolese army and a local militia group  has escalated to unprecedented levels, leading to mass displacements of people in the provinces of Kasai, Kasai Central, Kasai Oriental, Lomani and Sankuru.

Mass displacement and widespread insecurity, with regular violence against civilians and restriction of movement across the provinces, continue to hamper the possibility for the affected population to re-engage in their agricultural activities. Some 1.3 million people are now displaced due to this conflict, with an estimated 30,000 Congolese having fled to neighbouring Angola.

Considering the magnitude of humanitarian needs, a US$ 65 million flash appeal was launched on 25 April 2017 to mobilize funding to assist 731,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance over the next six months in Kasai. The current capacities of humanitarian and development actors have been outstripped, as well as all the projections of the DRC 2017-2019 Humanitarian Response Plan.

Considering the continued access constraints, WFP will prioritize a one off distribution in the urban centers, Kananga and Tshikapa, and, depending on the security and access situation, to part of the IDPs in the peri-urban areas, for approximately 42,000 people, reaching 40-50 percent of the IDPs population in the two provincial capitals under the IR-EMOP. This operation will run for three months from 6 July 2017 to 6 October 2017.