A U.N. humanitarian agency said Tuesday that tribal clashes between Arabs and non-Arabs in Sudan’s West Darfur province have displaced about 40,000 people, with thousands crossing to neighbouring Chad.

The violence grew out of a skirmish late in December between two people, one of whom, an Arab, was stabbed to death.

The clashes have killed a total of 54 people and wounded dozens, according to according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

“Thousands of people had crossed the border into Chad seeking refuge in villages near the border,” said Jens Laerke, a spokesman for OCHA.

He said that those displaced within the province had taken refugee in schools and government buildings.

At least 3,700 people, including more than 2,000 women and 500 children under 5, have crossed the border between West Darfur and Chad, said Andrej Mahecic, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency.

“The conditions were dire, and most refugees were staying out in the open; food and water were urgently needed,” Mahecic said.

Efforts by the government that included deployment of “sufficient” troops to the region helped stabilize the situation in West Darfur.

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