(MENAFN) Deteriorating conditions in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo intensify as combat persists and humanitarian financing evaporates, the UN World Food Program (WFP) cautioned Friday.

Warfare in eastern DR Congo has displaced tens of thousands while triggering severe food shortages, Cynthia Jones, WFP's country director for DR Congo, told the UN Geneva Office's weekly press briefing via video link.

UN relief organizations confront substantial obstacles, especially in territories controlled by M23 militants—allegedly backed by Rwanda—while insufficient humanitarian funding has compounded the emergency, she noted.

Relief delivery would improve dramatically with restored aerial access, as two airfields in M23-controlled zones "have been closed basically since the end of January," Jones said.

She went on to say that the WFP is urgently calling for a humanitarian air corridor to be established.

The warning follows findings from UN-supported food security analysts at the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification platform (IPC), projecting nearly 25 million individuals face critical food insecurity levels.

Jones added: "This means what for families? It means that they're skipping their meals, depleting all of their household assets. They're selling off their animals."

She underlined that the WFP is only able to support a fraction of those in need, reiterating an appeal for $350 million to support emergency food and nutrition assistance over the next six months.

"Without it, we will have to make further cuts, reduce (assistance) even further, down to 300,000, which is only 10% of the three million in need," Jones noted.

The militants and the government signed the Declaration of Principles ceasefire deal in Doha in July.

Yet hostilities persist between governmental troops and M23 forces, with mutual accusations of truce violations.

Approximately 7 million Congo residents remain internally displaced, government figures indicate.

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