MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. Up to 20,000 refugees have headed to Chad from Sudan that has descended into confrontation between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Agence France-Presse reported on Thursday, citing the UN Refugee Agency.

"Most of those who come are women and children. UNHCR is in close cooperation with the government of Chad and its partners in order to assess the needs of the refugees and prepared a a joint decision," the report said.

The agency said Chad had received more than 400,000 refugees even before the situation escalated in Sudan. The newly arriving refugees are putting more strain on Chad’s government services and resources, according to the agency.