Sudan on Sunday denied accusations that the Sudanese Air Force bombed towns in eastern Chad this week. Chadian officials say the airstrikes have created panic among civilians in the region and threatened unspecified measures against Sudan if the bombing continues.

Tensions between Sudan and Chad are growing, following accusations that Sudan bombed four Chadian towns near Darfur on Friday.

In recent weeks the Sudanese army has clashed with Darfuri rebels in the region.

Sudanese Armed Forces spokesman Sawarmy Khalid denied the accusations and said Sudan and Chad are working together to contain violence along the border.

"The Chadian accusation is not true," said Khalid. "The Sudanese army and the air force did not attack any cities in Chad. There is a protocol between Sudan and Chad. We are not going to support any Chadian rebellion. We do not support any Chadian rebellion."

Sudan and Chad cut ties last spring after Chadian rebels launched an attack on the Chadian capital of Ndjamena in an attempt to unseat President Idris Deby.

Chad accused Sudan of harboring the rebels and Sudan countered with accusations that Chad had armed Darfuri rebels.

The humanitarian situation along the border between the two countries remains grim. The United Nations estimates that some 200,000 Darfuri refuges and 50,000 displaced Chadians eke out a tenuous existence in the desert region.

The U.N. said on Friday that it will consider sending a peacekeeping mission to eastern Chad, following Sudan's refusal to allow U.N. forces into Darfur.

Tens of thousands of civilians have died since the fighting in Darfur began three years ago, and more than two million people have been displaced in Sudan and eastern Chad.