12,000 people from Sudan's Darfur region have crossed the border into neighbouring Chad after heavy bombardments and armed attacks by Sudanese forces and the Janjaweed militia, the UN refugee agency has said.
The refugees have fled to the Birak region of southeastern Chad after attacks on Friday and Saturday by the Sudanese army and the Janjaweed militia.
The UNHCR is sending an assessment team to the region and hopes to move people by truck to existing camps for Darfur refugees on tomorrow.
The Sudanese army yesterday confirmed its troops had carried out military operations in western Darfur and regained control of three communities, pushing out rebels to Chad.
The Justice and Equality Movement rebels said that Sudanese troops backed by Janjaweed militia had attacked the three communities north of Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, killing dozens of civilians on Friday.
The latest unrest comes after a senior UN official warned on Friday that a reported proxy war between Sudan and Chad through rebel groups on each side of their border threatened to destabilise the region and lead to a wider conflict.
