Humanitarian needs caused by conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo have doubled over the last year, the UN Security Council said on Monday.
The UN's Under-Secretary-General Mark Lowcock said 13 million people are affected by internal conflict gripping the country and require humanitarian assistance.
"More than 4.6 million children are acutely malnourished, including 2.2 million suffering from severe acute malnutrition," Lowcock said.
"We're seeing mushrooming epidemics including the worst outbreak of cholera in 15 years. There's also an epidemic of sexual violence - most of it unreported and unaddressed - and much of it against children."
Fighting in the central African country has much to do with the long-delayed vote to replace President Joseph Kabila.
While elections were initially set for November 2016, they were pushed to December 2018. But the electoral commission has since said voting may not be possible until April 2019.
In the meantime, political opposition has been building up and a report released by the UN on Monday said at least 47 people were killed in the past year in demonstration-related violence.
