Troops vigilant after Chad explosion
At least seven civilians were killed and 15 injured when the blast rocked a marketplace in the city without prior warning at about 4pm Irish time.
About 420 Irish soldiers serving with the EU’s peacekeeping mission, Eufor, based near Goz Beida in eastern Chad, about 725km from the capital.
However, N’djamena remains a cause for concern as it was the scene of intense fighting in February this year after rebels attacked the city in an attempt to overthrow the president, resulting in some 15,000 people having to flee their homes.
Irish Commandant Dan Harvey, Eufor’s Paris-based spokesman, said yesterday’s explosion was believed to have been caused by a store of weapons and ammunition left over from the February attack. “It is not known whether it exploded spontaneously or if it was deliberate,” he said.
The latest casualties come as the UN debates whether to take over the EU mission in the central African nation, which is plagued with rebel activity, inter-ethnic fighting, banditry, thousands of internally displaced people and a massive refugee problem from the mayhem in neighbouring Darfur.
In the official mid-term review of the situation, seen by the Irish Examiner, the Irish general heading up the Eufor mission has warned the UN that any transfer of peacekeeping duties from the EU to the UN must be seamless if the stability achieved in the eastern region since the troops arrived in March is not to be jeopardised.
Lt Gen Pat Nash, who is in charge of more than 3,300 Eufor troops in the region, said the soldiers had completed 850 reconnaissance mission to villages and 270 meetings with humanitarian organisations and aid groups as well as 690 short and long patrols from base during the past four months. While the rainy season has put rebel activity on hold, the troops have encountered bandits and local criminality on 211 occasions.
Progress on infrastructure has been made with the creation of six separate army bases, with capacity ranging from 600 to 2,200 personnel. Facilities have also been improved at the country’s two main airports, at N’djamena and Abeche, which have allowed food aid deliveries to continue uninterrupted while troops and military supplies arrive.
While the report states general satisfaction with the mission so far, it warns that continued progress is dependent on a smooth takeover if UN chiefs in New York give the go-ahead for an international force.
“The security aspect of the mid-term review has gone to New York. We will not speculate on the future but it’s critical no security gap be allowed develop,” said Cmdt Harvey.
The UN is to make a decision on involvement by September 15 but while the original intention was to bring in “blue-hat” forces next March, military sources say that time frame is looking unrealistic, with a date for handover more than likely being pushed back to late 2009.
