Mogadishu, Feb 17 (IANS): More than 60,000 Somalis, mainly women and children, have fled to Ethiopia's Somali region in the past few weeks following clashes between security forces and clan leaders in Las Anod in northern Somalia, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.

The UNHCR added that more than 185,000 people have been displaced from Las Anod town and its surrounding areas since early February. It called on all parties to respect the safety of civilians and appealed for additional funding support to meet the needs of these newly displaced, Xinhua news agency reported.

"With limited options, many newly-arrived refugee families have resorted to sheltering in schools and other public buildings while others have no choice but to sleep outside," the UNHCR said in a statement, adding that many urgently need food and nutritional support, water and sanitation facilities, as well as specialised support for people with specific needs.

More than half of the 60,000 Somalis who are escaping clashes and insecurity in the town of Las Anod arrived in Ethiopia earlier this week, the UN agency added.

According to the UNHCR, those fleeing the clashes are exhausted and traumatised and said they had to sell their belongings to pay for transportation to reach safety while many of them have lost loved ones in the clashes or have been separated during flight.

The UN said the fighting has impacted humanitarian operations, with increased access challenges, especially in internally displaced persons locations.