The food security of around 124 million people worldwide was under acute threat at the end of last year, mostly because of worsening conflicts and drought, the UN and EU said on Thursday. The worst food crises in 2017 were in northeastern Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen and South Sudan, “where nearly 32 million people were food-insecure and in need of urgent assistance,” they said in an annual report on food crises. “Conflicts and climate-related shocks have recently sent levels of world hunger marching back up, following decades of steady decline,” according to the report. The figure of 124 million is 15 percent higher than the number in 2016, AFP said. “Throughout Africa, the Middle East and in parts of South Asia, conflict and insecurity have undermined food security,” the report added.