The UN refugee agency has issued a stark warning that the violence in Chad could turn into a genocide similar to that in Rwanda in 1994.

|PIC1|The UNHCR has said the killing tactics from neighbouring Darfur in Sudan have been replicated in eastern Chad. The warning comes as Chad, Sudan and the Central African Republic signed a deal not to support rebels attacking each other's neighbouring territory.

African Union head, Ghana's President John Kufuor, said they seemed ready to agree to an AU/UN border peace force. Mr Kufuor said, "They seem to be ready to accept a beefed-up force from the African Union and the United Nations to take control of the borders among them."

200,000 people have been killed and more than 2.5 million displaced since war broke out in Darfur four years ago. However, a new major concern arising is for the 200,000 refugees who sought shelter in eastern Chad.

"We are seeing elements that closely resemble what we saw in Rwanda in the genocide in 1994 and I think we have an opportunity here to avoid such a tragedy from occurring again," UNHCR's Matthew Conway said.

UN head Ban Ki-moon has said the deteriorating situation in Darfur was unacceptable, and he was still awaiting a reply from Khartoum on a possible UN peacekeeping force being dispatched to Darfur.

In addition, the UN Security Council is preparing to discuss proposals to send a peacekeeping force to Chad.