(Adds Chadian government statement on EUFOR, paragraphs 9-11) DAKAR, Feb 18 (Reuters) - European foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday must increase diplomatic pressure for a ceasefire in Chad to avert a major humanitarian crisis, British charity Oxfam said. Some 500,000 people, including refugees from Sudan's western Darfur region and Chadians displaced by war and ethnic violence, are sheltering in camps in eastern Chad, but a surge in fighting has hampered aid and delayed the deployment of EU peacekeepers. Many aid organisations evacuated foreign workers after a rebel assault on the Chadian capital N'Djamena two weeks ago and are operating on a skeleton staff. Oxfam said supply routes to the camps had been closed and that only two weeks' worth of fuel supplies for vital water plants was left. "We have all the elements for a huge humanitarian crisis rapidly developing in Chad," said Nick Roseveare, Oxfam's director for West Africa. "Europe must act rapidly before things get worse." "Europe needs to call for a ceasefire in Chad to protect beleaguered civilians and increase diplomatic efforts to secure peace," he said in a statement before the Brussels meeting. Oxfam said camps in eastern Chad were unable to cope with a fresh wave of thousands of refugees fleeing violence in Darfur. European peacekeepers resumed their deployment last week, after a brief suspension following the Feb. 2-3 battle for N'Djamena, but the rebels have said France's strong support for Deby has made EUFOR a military target. French troops make up the majority of the 3,700-strong force. President Idriss Deby's government, which accuses Sudan of supporting the Chadian rebels, called on EUFOR to secure the porous eastern border with Darfur. But EUFOR's commanders have said its mandate is to protect the refugee camps and not engage the warring factions in eastern Chad unless civilians are threatened. "The Chadian government supports the deployment of the European force, EUFOR, on its territory and hopes its presence will really help to strengthen security on the frontier with Sudan," said a statement from Communication Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor, posted on the presidency Web site on Monday. Chad has recently threatened to expel Darfuri refugees, saying their presence is destabilising the region. Deby declared a state of emergency on Thursday, granting his government exceptional powers to censor the media, search people and property, and tightly regulate all movement around the landlocked, central African state. (Reporting by Daniel Flynn; Editing by Catherine Evans)
A woman displaced during post-election violence stands at a soccer stadium in Nakuru, west of Nairobi, February 16, 2008. Children crammed into the soccer stadium in this Rift Valley town won't ...
