The hike in violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo has left more than 400,000 children facing acute malnutrition, the United Nations has said.
The UN’s children agency wants the situation resolved soon to enable access to basic services.
“These children are among the most vulnerable in the country, and now they face a looming crisis if access to basic services is not restored quickly,” UNICEF’s regional director Marie-Pierre Poirier said in a statement.
An insurrection against the government in the central Greater Kasai region has left hundreds dead and forces more than 1 million people to flee their homes since July, with the United Nations warning of a “dramatically deteriorating” humanitarian situation.
Reaching these children in Greater Kasai’s remote areas, identifying those who are malnourished and providing therapeutic food is challenging given the insecurity, UNICEF said.
Even before the recent surge in violence, the region was one of the poorest in Congo.
According to UNICEF, more than 10 children in the region die before the age of five due to a lack of adequate health care, while half suffer from chronic malnutrition or stunting.
The violence in the country has worsened since the end of last year, following President Joseph Kabila’s failure to step down at the end of his term. The government said it could not conduct elections due to logistical hitches.
