The head of the U.N. food agency says the number of people around the world in danger of dying unless they get food urgently surged to 124 million last year mainly because "people won't stop shooting at each other."

World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley told the Security Council Friday that almost 32 million of those acutely hungry people live in four conflict-wracked countries Somalia, Yemen, South Sudan and northeastern Nigeria.

He said that globally, 60 percent of the 815 million chronically hungry people who don't know where their next meal is coming from live in conflict areas.

U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said according to the latest data, northeastern Nigeria, Yemen and South Sudan still face the risk of famine.