Chad climate disaster leaves record 2.1 million people hungry

(Representative Image)

Severe drought followed by the worst floods in 30 years have led to rocketing food prices and left a record 2.1 million people in Chad acutely hungry, according to United Nations agencies.

As a result of the climate disaster, 10% of all children under five are affected by severe malnutrition, and one in three will suffer from stunted growth, said the United Nations children's fund.

On a bed at the Notre Dame des Apotres Hospital in the capital N'Djamena, Fatimé Mahamat Idriss feeds her gaunt toddler through a feeding tube.

When the harvest failed, her husband sought work in a gold mine in the north, leaving no food for their three children.

Chad's total population is 16.4 million, according to the World Bank.