Why were famine and malnutrition so widespread in the democratic republic of the congo in the 1990s and 2000s? a. the flooding of the congo river wiped out crops and farmland and eroded fertile soil near the riverbanks. b. acts of genocide against the tutsi people left too few people to care for crops, run stores, and manage restaurants. c. farmland and crops were destroyed during the civil war, leaving much of the population without adequate food. d. droughts in 1997 and 2001 killed many of the crops, leading to limited food.