Millions of children in the Middle East and North Africa are at an increased risk of malnutrition amid food price hikes occasioned by the conflict in Ukraine among other issues, the UN children's agency said on Thursday.

UNICEF pointed out that disruption in imports caused by the conflict is creating food shortages amid high prices of essential commodities, including wheat, edible oils, and fuel.

It noted that if the conflict rages on longer, it will severely impact children, especially in Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen; some of which were already hunger hotspots prior to the conflict that started on February 24.

"With ongoing conflicts, political instability, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the region is witnessing unprecedented hikes in food prices coupled with low purchasing power. The number of malnourished children is likely to drastically increase," said Adele Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

UNICEF reiterated that the impact of the continuing conflict in Ukraine is compounding the impacts of two long years of the COVID-19 pandemic on economies, employment and poverty in the MENA (Middle East North Africa) region, where more than 90 percent of food is imported.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), the prices of cooking oil have hiked up by 36 percent in Yemen and 39 percent in Syria. Wheat flour prices have increased by 47 percent in Lebanon, 15 percent in Libya and 14 percent in Palestine.

Already last month, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General Qu Dongyu warned that the likely disruptions to agricultural activities in Russia and Ukraine could seriously escalate food insecurity globally.

According to the agency, Russia is the world's largest exporter of wheat, and Ukraine is the fifth largest. Together, they provide 19 percent of the world’s barley supply, 14 percent of wheat, and 4 percent of maize, making up more than one-third of global cereal exports.