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Tens of thousands of people fleeing violence in Sudan are spilling into Chad, with aid agencies warning that larger flows of refugees are expected to arrive.

Since fierce fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15, an estimated 20,000 people have entered Chad and at least 100,000 are set to arrive, the United Nations said on Tuesday, raising concerns about the stability of a fragile region.

The conflict has pitted army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and al-Burhan’s deputy in the military’s Sovereignty Council that has been running the country since the October 2021 coup. More than 400 people have died so far.

While the most intense fighting has been taking place in the capital Khartoum, battles have also spread to Sudan’s western region of Darfur, reviving memories of the 16-year-long conflict, in which 300,000 people were killed. Back then, rebels fought against the government of President Omar al-Bashir and the Popular Defence Forces – called “Janjaweed” by the rebels – which later evolved into the RSF.

Lying on Darfur’s western border, Chad has reported the highest number of refugees from the Sudan conflict compared with other neighbouring countries, according to the UN.

“They arrive exhausted and in a state of panic after they left behind all their material and financial assets,” said Idriss Mahmat Ali Abdallah Nassouri, head of Chad’s National Commission for Reception, Reintegration and Returnees (CNARR).

Most of the refugees have come from the towns of Nyala and El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, where the fighting has been more intense, Nassouri said, adding that most are now staying in Chad’s eastern provinces of Ouaddai and Sila.

“The number of arrivals is increasing by the thousands and is worrying,” Nassouri said, noting that resources were straining to assist the 600,000 refugees, spread across 13 camps in the country’s east, who were already living in Chad before the latest crisis in Sudan erupted.