CONCERN OVER FOOD SHORTAGES IN DRC "With the rebels advancing towards the town of Sake, approximately 25 km (15.5 miles) west of Goma, the city now relies on scant food supplies brought in by canoes from villages around Lake Kivu. The Kituku market, on the lake's banks, has become a critical source of food for Goma.
Esperance Nyota, a banana seller, warned of an impending famine if the conflict persists and the routes supplying Goma from surrounding farmlands remain cut off.
"The entire city of Goma depends on this small market for supplies of cassava, corn, and bananas," Nyota said.
Approximately 135,000 internally displaced people have fled Sake in the past week, according to the United Nations refugee agency. They join the hundreds of thousands already displaced around Goma since 2022 due to the ongoing conflict.
The UN agency has warned that the conflict, including indiscriminate bombing, risks exacerbating the strain on limited resources to cater for more than 800,000 internally displaced people, and 2.5 million already displaced in the North Kivu province.