GENEVA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported a surge in refugee arrivals on Tuesday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from South Sudan.

Over the past few days, desperate people have crossed the border to escape fighting and violence against civilians, said UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch at a UN press briefing here.

"It is estimated that 5,000 refugees have arrived in several border villages near the town of Ingbokolo, in north-east DRC's Ituri province, according to local village chiefs," he said.

An additional 8,000 people are reportedly displaced inside South Sudan, on the outskirts of the town of Yei.

People are fleeing clashes that started on Jan. 19 between the South Sudanese army and one of the rebel groups, the National Salvation Front (NAS), in South Sudan's Central Equatoria State that borders the DRC and Uganda.

The clashes are blocking humanitarian access to the affected areas, said UNHCR.

"Those fleeing the violence arrived in the DRC by foot over the weekend. Most are women, children and elderly. They arrived exhausted, hungry and thirsty," said Babar.

Among them are people suffering from malaria or other illnesses.

Many have experienced trauma from having witnessed violent incidents, including armed men reportedly murdering and raping civilians and looting villages.

UNHCR staff in DRC's Ituri province say that desperate people are seeking shelter in churches, schools and abandoned houses, or sleeping in the open in a remote border area where the villages lack infrastructure and have very few health centers.

The areas in which refugees have arrived are challenging to reach, with roads and bridges badly damaged and in a state of disrepair.

The Congolese authorities are encouraging people to move away from the volatile border area and go further inland, where they can get better help.

The internal conflict in South Sudan has generated over 2.2 million refugees since 2013, said UNHCR.