N'DJAMENA (Reuters):

Armed rebels and unidentified gunmen entered at least two towns in eastern Chad at the weekend and beat two foreign aid workers after rebel factions abandoned a month-old ceasefire, humanitarian staff said yesterday.

The unrest underlined deteriorating security in the area where European Union peacekeepers hope to start deploying in the next few weeks to complement a hybrid United Nations/African force planned for Sudan's violent Darfur region, over Chad's eastern frontier.