Pygmy tribes who once flourished in the Democratic Republic of Congo are facing possible extinction, according to a report by Britain's Sky television.

The report said the traditionally jungle dwelling, nomadic tribes are being driven to extinction by loss of habitat and armed conflict.

The pygmies inhabit some of the jungles of Eastern Congo bordering Uganda, but the nearly 60,000 square-mile area is infested with warlords and armed militia, Sky reported.

A pygmy clan chief said his people used to eat meat every day by hunting game in the jungle, but now life is hard. Swathes of jungle have been cut down to make way for crops and there is little game in the jungle to hunt for, according to the report.

With a subsistence diet, children are malnourished and are prone to skin diseases, the report said.

The United Nations mission in the DR Congo, known by its French acronym, MONUC, has been helping by handing out biscuits and some fruit.

DR Congo's five-year war was declared at an end in 2003. It involved six African armies, as well as militias.