By Claudia Parsons

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council extended the mandate of a peacekeeping force in eastern Chad and Central African Republic on Wednesday and said it would keep international peacekeepers there beyond the March 2009 expiration of the force's mandate.

The council decided a year ago to deploy a European Union peacekeeping force in the two countries, as well as a U.N. mission, to train and support Chadian police to guard U.N.-run refugee camps.

Since early this year, more than 3,000 European soldiers from over a dozen countries have begun a one-year mission to protect refugees, civilians and aid workers in eastern Chad from the conflict spilling over from Sudan's Darfur region.

Since the EU force's deployment, some military experts and aid workers have questioned whether it has the capacity or strength to protect refugees and relief workers in a rugged operating area of several hundred thousand square miles.

The international charity Oxfam said this month that the United Nations and the EU had failed to protect civilians from violence in eastern Chad and should urgently strengthen policing operations there.

Wednesday's Security Council resolution extended the mandate of the force until March 15, 2009 and expressed the Council's intention to deploy U.N. peacekeepers to follow up the EU force in Chad and Central African Republic after that.

It asked Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to start planning and raising troops and logistics for such a force.

The conflict that flared in Darfur region five years ago after rebels took up arms against Sudan's government has led to refugees being driven into neighboring countries to flee attacks by pro-government militia, called Janjaweed.

This created havoc in Chad and the Central African Republic and played into existing conflicts there.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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