A RECORD 29 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the face of growing hunger and insecurity in Africa’s Sahel region, the United Nations and NGOs warned on Tuesday.

Five million more people require aid in Burkina Faso, northern Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger and north-eastern Nigeria than last year, they said.

The situation has been worsened by a deepening and more complex conflict involving rival jihadist groups that are exploiting tribal tensions, leading to increased fighting.