About 7.7 million people are facing acute hunger in Congo, up 30 per cent over the last year, two UN agencies say.
Between June 2016 and June 2017, the number of people on pre-famine levels of food insecurity and requiring urgent humanitarian assistance rose from 5.9 million to 7.7 million, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) said.
The agencies reported food insecurity mainly in the centre and east of the country, which have seen widespread fighting involving armed groups.
About 3.7 million people have been displaced in the Central African country of 82 million residents, according to the statement.
One in 10 people living in rural areas suffers from acute hunger, while chronic malnutrition affects 43 per cent of children under five years.
"In conflict-ridden areas, farmers have seen their villages and fields pillaged. They have not been able to plant for the last two seasons. There is a lack of local markets providing for their food needs," said Alexis Bonte from FAO.
