Violence and refugees strung along the border of Chad, Central African Republic and Sudan continue to worry international leaders. The U.N. special representative for West Africa is hopeful about a renewed peace agreement among the three countries' leaders.

An international aid agency is warning today (Thursday) that eastern Chad is on the verge of becoming another Darfur. OXFAM says attacks on villages have displaced tens of thousands of Chadians, leaving them with little water and no sanitation. The warning comes as the UN Security Council nears a decision on sending a peacekeeping force to the region.

Chadian armed forces clashed with rebels Thursday in the eastern border town of Adre. From VOA's regional bureau in Dakar, Jordan Davis reports both sides say fighting was intense.

A hijacker seized a Sudanese passenger plane Wednesday and forced the pilot to fly to the Chadian capital, N'Djamena, before surrendering to authorities there. No one was injured.

Anti-government rebels in Chad say they resumed operations Saturday after a recent pause in fighting and have taken control of a remote town in the northeast. Government officials deny rebels have overtaken the town. Phuong Tran reports from VOA's Central and West Africa bureau.

The U.N. refugee agency says violence over the past two weeks in eastern Chad has driven as many as 20,000 people from their homes.

China has signed $80 million worth of economic agreements with its new ally Chad as a part of a diplomatic tour of Africa. The Chinese foreign minister has made stops in Benin, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau, offering the countries aid and projects. Some analysts warn that human rights and development may suffer from unconditional economic deals with China, while others say the competing interests could benefit the countries' economies. Kari Barber reports from our West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.

Chad rebels are dismissing an effort by President Idriss Deby to reach out to one of the many rebel movements operating near the border with Sudan. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from our regional bureau in Dakar that there has been a recent lull in rebel operations, but intercommunal violence is being reported again.

The withdrawal from Abéché in eastern Chad of non essential United Nations staff, including those working for the World Health Organization (WHO), has left refugee and displaced populations and local communities facing a potential health crisis, WHO said today.