Irish troops to join EU peacekeepers in Chad

IRISH troops will be part of the European Union peacekeeping force in Chad, subject to Dáil approval.

Thu, 27 Sep, 2007 - 01:00

A reconnaissance team will travel to the country that borders Darfur to report on what role they could play in the 4,000 strong EU force which will be the union’s biggest military undertaking since Bosnia three years ago.

The Irish Army is likely to send about 350 troops after Ireland ends its mission in Lebanon, when the final 150 soldiers leave at the end of October.

The European Parliament will today endorse the decision to deploy EU troops in response to the UN call for a 26,000 strong UN-African Union force for the region.

The Europeans will be deployed to Chad and the Central African Republic to protect civilians from the conflict in Darfur, which has now spread to neighbouring countries.

There are an estimated 236,000 refugees fleeing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan and a further 173,000 internally displaced in makeshift camps in Chad alone.

The UN resolution, proposed by France, is for 300 UN police to monitor the camps and they would be protected by the European troops. The majority of the soldiers are expected to be French led by a British general.

Speaking in favour of sending troops in the European Parliament, Fianna Fáil MEP Eoin Ryan said without peacekeepers in Chad there was a risk of even greater instability and violence in the whole region.

Fine Gael MEP Colm Burke said that, according to high-level expert military advice, there are considerable operational and security challenges, but the mission was “doable”.

“The infrastructure in this area is poor; water is scarce and logistic lines are difficult. Such a mission will also face threats from rebel groups holding out against the government. We have the military capacity; what is now required is political will,” he said.

Peace talks are due to get underway in Libya on October 27 between the Sudanese government and rebel groups, while EU foreign ministers will formally announce EU participation in the UN operation at their meeting on October 15.