Fleeing Sudanese seek refuge in Chad. (Reuters).

Fighting flared in the western Sudanese city of Nyala and elsewhere in the state of South Darfur on Sunday, as the four months of conflict threaten to engulf the region.

According to Reuters, clashes between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have flared occasionally in Nyala, the country’s second-biggest city.

The latest flare-up has lasted three days, with both the army and RSF firing artillery into residential neighborhoods, according to witness accounts published by Reuters.

At least eight people were killed on Saturday alone, according to the Darfur Bar Association, a national human rights monitor.

In recent days, fighting has extended 100 km (60 miles) to the west of Nyala, in the Kubum area, killing dozens, Reuters reports.

The bar association said Arab tribesmen equipped with RSF vehicles attacked the area, burning the market and raiding the police station in an attack on a rival Arab tribe.

The bitter fighting has reportedly damaged electricity, water, and telecom networks.

The UNHCR said that at least four million people have been displaced, including more than 900,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries already grappling with conflict and economic crises.

The highest number – more than 377,000 – have fled to Chad from the western Sudanese region of Darfur, where witnesses have blamed Arab militias aligned with the RSF for a wave of ethnically targeted attacks against non-Arab groups.

Some of the information in this story was obtained from Reuters news agency.