The current analysis period, from April to May 2023, coincides with the lean season, marked by a reduction in the availability of food resources both in households and on the markets, with a tendency for food prices to rise. For this period, 2.3 million people (19 percent of the total population analysed) are facing high acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above). Around 105,000 people are classified in IPC Phase 4, Emergency (1 percent of the population analysed) and around 2.2 million people (18 percent of the population analysed) are classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis).

During the projected period, from June to September 2023, which coincides with the harvest period of the most important crop season B "IMPESHI", the food-insecure population (IPC Phase 3 or above) will decrease from 2.3 million people to 1.1 million people.

The current analysis has classified four Livelihood Zones as being in Crisis (IPC Phase 3), namely Northern Depression, Imbo Plain, Humid Plateaux and Congo Nile Ridge. People in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) are mainly households on the move, those most affected by climatic hazards, inflationary pressure on the market, the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, etc., and who currently have very limited access to food.

The crisis can be attributed to a number of significant shocks, including but not limited to the poor performance of the first crop season in 2023. This poor performance stemmed from a range of factors such as inadequate and uneven distribution of rainfall leading to water shortages and flooding/landslides, limited access to agricultural inputs, population displacement, and the far-reaching impact of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict on local market conditions (such as increased prices for imported goods, fuel supply disruptions, higher prices for raw materials, and supply chain interruptions). Similarly, the after-effects of Rift Valley Fever and the cholera epidemic that hit the coastal region of Lake Tanganyika were also prominent drivers of the crisis.

• Provide direct food assistance in kind and/or cash to populations classified in IPC Phase 3 or above in order to prevent a deterioration of their nutritional status and protect their livelihoods.
• Support vulnerable households affected by climate hazards through the provision of agricultural inputs such as vegetable seeds and complement this assistance with other livelihood restoration actions (income-generating activities, small-scale livestock, cash transfers, etc.), especially for households affected by rising lake waters whose relocation remains problematic.
• Continue to support returnees in their permanent reintegration by promoting sustainable and resilient livelihoods;
• Strengthen early warning systems to prevent shocks, provide a rapid and coordinated response, and limit their negative impacts.
• Ensure that fertilisers (organic-mineral fertilizers) reach farmers on time.
• Maintain the lifting of taxes on basic food commodities and remove all non-tariff barriers on food imports;
• Strengthen collaboration with territorial administration to avoid adverse effects of trade restrictions between administrative entities.