LEWISTON – A doctor from Maine who recently returned from a seven-month trip to the Sudanese region of Darfur still cannot bring himself to talk completely about the horrendous conditions he witnessed.

Dr. Stephen Sokol had worked in war-torn regions in Russia, Haiti, Peru and Sierra Leone before. But when he first saw crowds of people cramming around tiny mud huts in Darfur, he said he knew the experience would be different.

“The experiences are so intense, so vivid … When I come back, it’s hard for me to talk about them. It usually takes about a month,” said Sokol, 67, who returned Sunday from his trip.

More than 200 refugees came to be treated for maladies that ranged from malaria to respiratory illnesses and infected burn wounds the day his first clinic opened. The number of starving patients eventually grew to reach 950.

In what U.S. officials have classified genocide, tens of thousands of people have been murdered, raped and driven from their homes to desolate refugee camps since a conflict began between Sudanese rebels and the government.

Weeks before he left, Sokol set up a program to train Sudanese medical providers on treating sexual assault victims.

But tired and 20 pounds lighter than when he left, Sokol knew it was time to go. He said he knew his wife was waiting for him.

“Really in my heart, I am so proud. I’m so glad he is willing to do this kind of work,” said Gerta Neu-Sokol.

The three clinics Sokol set up were treating an average of 13,000 patients a day when he left. Sokol said not one person died while waiting to be seen.

Still, it never takes long for the guilt to set in when he does depart.

“I feel terrible,” he said. “I feel like I’m abandoning everybody.”