N'DJAMENA, Chad, June 13 (UPI) -- The situation in Chad for thousands displaced by conflict in Sudan is precarious, a regional delegate from the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
The ICRC said it is working to address the needs of the "several tens of thousands of people" who fled their homes in Sudan to escape from communal clashes to eastern Chad.
"The situation is difficult for displaced people," regional ICRC delegate Helene Plennevaux said in a statement Wednesday. "We are trying to meet the most urgent needs by providing aid before the onset of the rainy season, which will render the roads impassable and therefore make access to the area very difficult."
Last week, Human Rights Watch said witnesses to an April raid in the Um Dukhun region of Darfur put former militia leader and police commander Ali Kosheib at the scene of alleged crimes against humanity. He's wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes committed in Darfur from 2003 to 2004.
"Most of these people fled without taking anything with them," Plennevaux said.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory for Chad, warning U.S. citizens working for relief agencies like the ICRC are at risk.
"All U.S. citizens affiliated with humanitarian relief efforts in eastern Chad should have an evacuation plan developed with the United Nations agency coordinating their work on the ground," the advisory stated.
