The conflict-torn Central African Republic is seeing the highest number of displaced people since fighting erupted there in 2013, AP said. More than 688,000 people were displaced inside the country as of the end of 2017 – a 60 percent jump from the year before, according to the UN refugee agency. It also said that more than 540,000 people have fled the impoverished nation where sectarian violence continues. The country, with an estimated population of around 4.6 million, saw new fighting in its southeast early last year. Now violence has erupted in the northwest, sending more than 17,000 people fleeing to neighboring Chad.