The UN Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, Jan Egeland, has given details of the growing scale of the humanitarian tragedy in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Mr Egeland said as many as 180,000 people may have died of disease and malnutrition over the past 18 months, in addition to those killed in the continuing violence.
The pro-government Janjaweed militias are accused of carrying out indiscriminate attacks on villages in Darfur in response to a rebel uprising.
Egeland said the violence was continuing in Darfur outside of refugee camps and that unless stabilization efforts were increased the number of people forced out of their homes could rise to three or four million.
Peace talks between the government and the rebels are at a standstill.
The UN Security Council has passed several resolutions ordering Sudan to rein-in the Janjaweed and improve security in Darfur. These have had little effect, however, and the security council is now struggling to find ways to give new urgency to international efforts to help the Darfur population.
The UN also accuses rich nations of failing to give money to Africa.
