The U.N. says some 100,000 people in the Central African Republic city of Paoua urgently need humanitarian aid following clashes between armed groups.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday that over 60,000 people have taken refuge in the city near the border with Chad as a result of the fighting and 40,000 live there.

Dujarric said "should armed groups continue clashing and attack other villages, the number of displaced people in Paoua could potentially double or triple."

He said a U.N.-led assessment mission on Jan. 11 reported that most of the displaced are women and children, and several cases of gender-based violence have been reported.

Dujarric said "health concerns are increasing amid reports that dead bodies have been dumped in wells or are lying around in villages."