The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) on Friday called on governments to allow civilians fleeing Sudan into their territory and not to send them back to the conflict-torn country.
"We're advising governments not to return people to Sudan because of the conflict that's going on there and also advising that this is a refugee movement," Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR's Director of International Protection, told reporters at a briefing in Geneva.
"There are likely to be high levels of international protection needs amongst those who are fleeing."
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber, Editing by Rachel More)