Some 2,800 refugees from the Central African Republic have crossed into Chad to escape further deadly attacks in the lawless north of their country

Reuters:

"Some refugees told the UNHCR that they had been attacked by bandits, while others say they were victims of violent attacks by armed rebels and-or the army," spokesman Ron Redmond of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told a briefing.

Authorities in Chad as well as refugee witnesses say that since Sunday alone, at least 50 civilians have been killed in the neighbouring former French colony, he said.

Local aid workers reported last Friday that more than 50 villagers had been killed in recent weeks by armed gangs.

Little is known about the armed groups operating in the north who have been storming villages since June, shooting randomly, looting homes and terrorising civilians, they say.

So far this year, 4,300 refugees from the Central African Republic have arrived in southern Chad, according to UNHCR.

New arrivals are registered in Bekoninga, a village only 500 metres (yards) from the border. They are being taken to Gondje refugee camp, opened last December to hold 15,000 countrymen who fled fighting last summer, according to Redmond.

"The new influx is creating an enormous strain on the already limited financial resources available for our operation in southern Chad," he said.

In all, Chad is host to 45,000 refugees from Central African Republic, who are staying in three camps including Gondje, which is 12 km (7.5 miles) north of Gore, the main town in south Chad.

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