United Nations, April 15 : The UN needs more funds to help an increasing number of displaced people in Mali, said a spokesman. There has been a sharp increase in displacement since January due to armed conflicts and a rise in inter-communal violence in the northern and central parts of Mali, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Thursday. This has pushed up the number of internally displaced persons to more than 360,000 people, an increase of 12,000 people since January. Over the last two months, at least 17,000 people have fled Mali, seeking refuge in Niger, he told a daily press briefing. It said that in addition to the violence, climate shocks are driving a dramatic food crisis, Xinhua news agency reported. Some 1.8 million people need food assistance this year, representing a 51 per cent increase since 2021. The UN humanitarian response plan for Mali, which asks for $686 million to meet the humanitarian needs of 5.3 million people, is less than 10 per cent funded, Dujarric added. "We ask donors to please fund this appeal and all other underfunded humanitarian appeals," he said. /IANS