The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says recent violence in Sudan's West Darfur region has forced nearly 60,000 people from their homes. Four thousand have fled in the past week alone.

Some have fled across the border to Chad.

The UNHCR described conditions as dire, with most of the displaced living in the open air or under makeshift shelters.

It says food and water are desperately needed.

Dozens have been killed in recent clashes between African and Arab ethnic groups in the capital of West Darfur, El Geneina.

Some of the violence in December took place in displacement camps, where many have been living following years of instability in the region.