Rainfall started in early March over the south, moved towards the north during the second and third dekads, allowing the planting of the main maize crop. Rains remained abundant and widespread in April and May. Planting of rice, millet and sorghum is underway in the north, as well as rice in the centre. Favourable growing conditions prevailed in 1996 and cereal output is estimated at about 1 300 000 tons. The cereal import requirement for 1996/97 (July/June) is estimated at 250 000 tons of wheat and rice and 10 000 tons of coarse grains.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (3 June)
Rainfall started in early March over the south, moved towards the north during the second and third dekads, and remained abundant and widespread in April and May. Rice is being planted in the south, while planting of millet and sorghum is underway in the north. The main maize crop is growing satisfactorily.
There are 27 400 assisted Sudanese refugees in the country. Approximately 5 000 Chadians also receive food assistance. Their nutritional status is reported to be adequate. In addition, more than 35 000 refugees from Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo have arrived in the Central African Republic in late May/early June. For the 1997 marketing year (January/December), the cereal import requirement is estimated at 39 000 tons, mainly wheat and rice.
Rainfall was abundant and widespread in March and April over the whole country, started to decrease in mid May and stopped in late May in the south. The harvest of the first maize crop is underway.
Civil disturbances have erupted in early June in Brazzaville, where they may affect the food supply situation. The city is divided in two. Almost 5 000 foreigners, who were providing income to a many persons, have been evacuated from Brazzaville. Humanitarian agencies have temporarily suspended their assistance. An FAO assessment mission is planned as soon as the security situation permits it. Before the fighting, the overall food supply situation was satisfactory. Staple foodcrops are roots, tubers and plantains, production of which is about 650 000 tons. Markets are well supplied with these crops. Cereal production is estimated at some 27 000 tons, mainly maize. For the 1996/97 marketing year (July/June), the cereal import requirement is estimated at 123 000 tons, mostly wheat, including a structural food aid requirement of 2 000 tons. About 16 000 Rwandans refugees arrived in Congo, fleeing the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were mainly located in Lukolela, a town north-east of Brazzaville, where they were receiving food assistance, but fighting in Brazzaville has cut off supply lines and impeded relief operations.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO* (18 June)
There was abundant precipitation over the entire country since the beginning of the year. Rainfall moved towards the north in May, decreased and stopped in the south and the centre. In the north and south, the second maize crop is being harvested while land preparation is underway for main maize planting in the centre. Planting of millet and sorghum is drawing to an end in the east.
Civil disturbances occurred in May in Kinshasa between the new government and the opposition. The food supply situation is still critical in the east where severe malnutrition is reported among remaining refugees and the security situation is still tense. As of 18 June, more than 50 000 Rwandan refugees had been repatriated by air from the eastern city of Kisangani to Rwanda. About 2 000 refugees are at Kisangani whilst Ubundu no longer has refugees. Some 12 000 Rwandan refugees were also reported around Mbandaka, 600 km west of Kisangani, of which an unspecified number were in forest areas. As of 18 June, about 7 500 had been repatriated by air to Rwanda. A small scale food-for-work project is underway to rehabilitate the railroad between Kinsangani and Ubundu. In the West, near Congo, more than 30 000 Rwandan refugees had scattered. About 15 000 have fled by boat to neighbouring Congo. There are also an estimated 50 000 assisted and 119 000 unassisted Angolan refugees in the south of the country. Most of the unassisted population is expected to return spontaneously, following the improvement of the situation in Angola while repatriation for the assisted refugees is scheduled to begin by mid-1997. Around 92 000 Sudanese and 18 500 Ugandan refugees also remain in the country. In the Kasa� region, approximately 600 000 displaced people, who arrived in 1992, fleeing ethnic violence in the Shaba region are present. Many of them are self sufficient, except in Mwene-Ditu, where their nutritional situation is reported to be critical.
The staple foodcrops are sweet potatoes, cassava and plantains. The cereal output for 1996 is estimated at about 1 675 000 tons. The cereal import requirement for 1996/97 (January/December) is estimated at 180 000 tons of wheat and rice and 60 000 tons of coarse grains.
Rains started in early March in the south and moved towards the north. Rainfall was abundant in April and the first half of May but decreased in the second half of the month. The staple foodcrops are sweet potatoes, cassava and plantains and the country annually imports some 10 000 tons of wheat and rice. The structural food aid requirement is estimated at 2 000 tons of wheat.
Following limited rainfall in February, rains increased in March, became abundant over the entire country in April and early May and decreased in mid and late May. The staple foodcrops are cassava and plantains, production of which is estimated at about 330 000 tons. Production of cereals in 1996, mainly maize is estimated at around 25 000 tons. The country needs to import the bulk of its wheat and rice requirement which is estimated at 76 000 tons. No food aid is necessary.