The UN has warned of an increasingly dire situation in the Central African Republic, saying that the number of displaced people has surpassed 935,000.
The number of people uprooted by conflict in the Central African Republic is nearing one million, with half of the residents of the capital Bangui driven from their homes, the United Nations says.
"The humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic remains dire, as insecurity is making the delivery of humanitarian relief ever more difficult and as the number of people displaced within the country has now surpassed 935,000," UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Babar Baloch said on Friday.
The figure includes those who fled their homes during a March 2013 coup and earlier strife, as well as ongoing sectarian clashes, he said, adding that many were children.
Baloch said attacks on civilians, looting and the presence of armed groups in locations to which people have fled were severely limiting aid agencies' access to those in urgent need.
The Central African Republic, already chronically unstable, plunged into chaos after mainly Muslim Seleka rebels staged the coup last year.
Last month, French troops intervened to try to stem resurging violence pitting former rebels against militias from the country's Christian majority bolstered by fighters loyal to the ousted regime.
The violence is believed to have killed more than 1000 people last month and sent tens of thousands fleeing.
"Some 512,672 people are currently sheltering in 67 sites in the capital, Bangui, or living with host families," Baloch said.
"This represents more than half of Bangui's total population. Some 60 per cent of those displaced are children."
