NIAMEY, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Niger's Arab community expressed alarm on Wednesday at the government's decision to expel 150,000 Arabs who fled warfare in neighbouring Chad and it warned the move could stoke racial hatred in the West African country.

Niger said on Tuesday it would deport the Mahamid Arabs, who settled in the southeastern region of Diffa in the 1980s as civil conflict raged in Chad, as their presence was raising tensions with indigenous tribes.

"This decision by the government is extremely dangerous; it will fuel the hatred between ethnic communities in Diffa and will lead to a widespread conflict whose wounds will take time to heal," Arab leader Hamed Ahmed said in a statement read to the media, expressing the fears of the broader Arab community.

Niger's government said the repatriation would be carried out with respect for human rights. It accused the Arab population of possessing illegal firearms and said they were a serious threat to the security of local communities.

But Ahmed said the expulsion would violate international treaties, including the charter of the 53-nation African Union. He appealed to President Mamadou Tandja to rescind the decision.

"To return these Arabs and their livestock is physically impossible. They will only move under force, and all violence will produce more violence," Ahmed said.

On Chad's eastern border, the Sudanese region of Darfur has descended into brutal racial conflict since 2003 which has killed an estimated 200,000 people and displaced another 2.5 million.

The government of Khartoum is widely accused of supporting Arab militia, known as Janjaweed, which have killed, raped and looted non-Arab communities, which favour greater regional autonomy. Khartoum denies any connection with the militia.

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