Famine Will Be Next Scourge to Hit Central African Republic: UN

Extreme violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) is pushing the country towards famine, the United Nations said Wednesday, noting that over half the population is requesting emergency aid.

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The catalytic effects of warfare from extremist rebel groups are putting the nation’s food security at risk, the U.N. humanitarian chief in the country, Najat Rochdi, said, describing the current situation as a level four out of the international five-step gauge.

“If the situation is remaining the same and people are not going back to work their fields... it means that, yes, in a very few years we will have a famine in the Central African Republic,” Rochdi said.

Although a catastrophic scenario will not emerge immediately, it could threaten hundreds of thousands, she said.

"I am raising the alarm not to say famine will arrive tomorrow, but to say that every possible measure must be taken to ensure that it doesn't," she said.

The fighting has uprooted more than 1 million people. The U.N. humanitarian chief in the country, Najat Rochdi, said 2.9 million of the 4.6 million population needed aid, and 1.6 million were in acute need.

Violence has continued in the south and east, and Rochdi said the United Nations had had to act as a government to keep basic services running.

"The world cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening in CAR. We are back to square one,” Rochdi said, adding that the  "despicable attacks" are "taking a huge toll on the lives of innocent men, women, boys, and girls."

Over a million CAR nationals and former immigrants have been displaced from violence perpetrated by both Muslim and Christian extremists.