OVERCROWDED refugee camps in eastern Chad need urgent funding as a “dire” humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by the spillover from a deadly conflict in Sudan, the United Nations has warned.

More than a million people in Chad, including refugees whose numbers are at a 20-year high, face losing access to lifesaving aid unless more funding is raised to help, the UN World Food Programme said.

The conflict between feuding generals in Sudan has killed more than 5,000 people and displaced over five million, according to UN figures.