GENEVA - More than 800,000 people may flee Sudan as a result of the ongoing clashes there between rival military factions, the U.N. Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees said on Monday.

"In consultation with all concerned governments and partners we've arrived at a planning figure of 815,000 people that may flee into the seven neighboring countries," Raouf Mazou told a member state briefing in Geneva. He said the estimate includes around 580,000 Sudanese, while the others are existing refugees living temporarily in the country.

(Reporting by Emma Farge and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber)