Darfur clashes force 1,860 refugees into Chad

YAOUNDE, Cameroon

Recent intercommunal clashes in Sudan’s West Darfur State have forced 1,860 refugees to cross into neighboring Chad in the past week, according to a statement.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said the refugees -- mostly women, children, and the elderly -- have fled homes in villages near the border, in the aftermath of deadly clashes that started on April 3.

"The resurging violence has reportedly left 144 people dead and more than 230 injured. In the meantime, humanitarian agencies are trying to establish the exact number of newly displaced people within West Darfur, which is estimated to be in the thousands," according to the statement late Tuesday.

The clashes took place in the El Geneina city of Sudan’s West Darfur state, 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the Sudan-Chad border.

"Refugees arriving in Chad speak of houses and properties being destroyed, and of sites hosting displaced people being targeted. Some of the new arrivals had already been displaced by earlier clashes last year and in January this year," it said.

The Ouaddai province in Chad, where the new arrivals are crossing, already hosts 145,000 Darfurian refugees, the UNHCR said, noting that it expects the influx to continue if security is not quickly restored in Darfur.