Nearly 55 million people in West and Central Africa will face severe hunger in the next few months as soaring prices trigger a food crisis, United Nations agencies have warned.

Refugees wait to receive food aid in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to Al Jazeera, in a joint statement on April 12, the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that the number of people facing hunger between June and August has quadrupled over the past five years.

The joint statement said economic challenges such as double-digit inflation and stagnant domestic production have become the main causes of the food crisis, in addition to the recurring conflict tensions in the region. The region is heavily dependent on food imports and is therefore under great pressure, especially countries with high inflation such as Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The statement said Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Mali would be among the worst affected countries. The situation is particularly worrying in northern Mali, where some 2,600 people could face catastrophic famine.

Over the past five years, prices of major cereals have continued to rise across the region from 10% to more than 100% above average, UN agencies said.

“We need to act now. We need to step up our cooperation to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control. We need to invest more in solutions that build resilience and are more durable for the future of West Africa,” said Margot Vandervelden, WFP’s acting regional director for West Africa.

Food shortages also lead to alarmingly high levels of malnutrition among children.

Eight in 10 children aged 6 to 23 months do not get enough of the minimum amount of food needed for optimal growth and development, the agencies said.

The organization also said some 16.7 million children under five in the region are severely malnourished and more than two-thirds of families cannot afford a healthy diet.

“For children in the region to reach their full potential, we need to ensure that every girl and boy receives good nutrition and care, lives in a healthy and safe environment, and has the opportunity to learn,” said UNICEF Regional Director Gilles Fagninou.