Around 1.4 million inhabitants of the Kasaï Region have been escaping violence and humiliation since the beginning of the crisis in August 2016. People living in the five provinces that make up the Kasaï Region – Kasaï, Kasaï Central, Kasaï Oriental, Lomami and Sankuru – one of DRC’s poorest regions, have never experienced such a scale of violence that resulted in a complex humanitarian crisis. According to the latest IPC results (June - Dec. 2017), around 2.8 million people in the Kasaï Region are at risk of food insecurity, among which 1.8 million people are moderately food insecure (IPC Phase 3) and 1 million people are severely food insecure (IPC Phase 4). Despite tremendous needs to support the affected population, particularly during the upcoming main agricultural season, humanitarian access and funding remain major challenges for the humanitarian community to support the affected populations and those in need.

According to the latest OCHA Situation Report (28 July 2017), a total of 63 300 people have received food assistance (in-kind and/or livelihood support) since the beginning of the response, in particular in the provinces of Kasaï and Kasaï Central. Over 10.000 households were assisted with vegetable or crop seeds distributed by FAO and supported by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Currently, over 330.000 people are targeted through food assistance, the biggest sector under the flash appeal which requires a funding of USD 23 million for the food security sector alone.