SUDAN NEWS ALERT: AP - UN: Clashes in Sudan’s West Darfur force 11,000 into Chad

28/1/2020: AP - UN: Clashes in Sudan’s West Darfur force 11,000 into Chad

AP reports that the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said that clashes in West Darfur forced over 11,000 to flee into Chad following El-Geneina massacre.

Babar Baloch, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency, said 4,000 of the 11,000 have fled during the last week alone. Baloch estimated the clashes have displaced some 46,000 Sudan, with most of those were already internally displaced people.

Baloch warned that the number of people fleeing to Chad to escape tensions in Darfur could reach 30,000 in the coming weeks, with the rate of arrivals “risks outpacing [UNHCR] capacity.”

The UNHCR said the refugees who crossed the border were scattered in several villages in Chad’s Ouddai province, already hosts 128,000 Sudanese refugees.

“The conditions are dire. Most are staying in the open or under makeshift shelters, with little protection. Food and water are urgently needed, while health conditions are a concern,” said Baloch.