Africa News and the Associated Press reported Sunday that many refugees who crossed Sudan’s northeast border this month into Libya are asking the UN for better support amid reports of delays and inadequate shelter. The refugees seek safety from a conflict that has displaced millions.

When the Rapid Support Forces (RAF), a paramilitary group led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, seized areas in Darfur, a full-scale conflict broke out with the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). The UN discovered mass graves in Darfur and estimated that the violence displaced over 3.1 million people from their homes. Most of these people have fled to other regions of Sudan, but some managed to cross into neighboring countries.

Nour Ismaili has been seeking shelter and medical aid in Libya since fleeing from Khartoum in May. In the two months since then, Nour has struggled to get help from UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, despite requiring an operation on his leg. He told Africa News and AP that he did not intend to remain permanently in Libya but instead wished that UNHCR would send him to a safe place and provide him with proper shelter.

Libya is dealing with its own paramilitary conflict. Yet hundreds of people like Nour see it as a safer option than returning home. The refugees seek a formal asylum process, as they were not able to wait for the proper channels of approval while fleeing the violence in Sudan.

Another refugee, Amina Suleman, claims she experienced similar delays at the Tripoli UNHCR office. After fleeing from her home in Darfur, where her aunt was shot and her sister’s family was caught in a bomb blast, Amina spent 30 days crossing the Sahara desert before arriving in Libya. Others advised her to register as a refugee at the UNHCR office where, once registered, refugees gain access to services like medical aid, refugee camps, and even asylum-seeker certificates issued by UNHCR. But when Amina arrived at the Tripoli office, she was told she would have to make an appointment. For the next eight days, she became one of many refugees living outside the UNHCR building, with nowhere to go while she waited her turn.

In a report on June 27th, UNCHR highlighted the challenges they face in connecting refugees to support. Much of their aid activities have focused on the eastern border with Chad, where many have fled the epicenter of the violence in West Darfur. The UNHCR says they are trying to reach all those in need of help, but, “capacities at border reception and transit facilities in neighboring countries have been strained due to the sheer numbers of people arriving, leading to overcrowding and further stretching of already limited resources.”