Why Ireland is leading the way with Chadian peace mission

SENDING in troops to protect refugees and aid agencies at the very heart of a humanitarian crisis may seem like an obvious move, but for Ireland and Europe it has been a very controversial one.

Bertie Ahern gave French President Nicholas Sarkozy a valuable commitment when he called for a pre-match lunch to the Elysee Palace in Paris last September.

The French wanted to send a peacekeeping mission to Chad and got UN backing, but as the old colonial power in the country, and already having a force supporting the embattled president, they needed some other country to lead peacekeepers. Bertie said yes, and Lt General Pat Nash found himself in an office in Paris as operation commander planning the biggest EU mission with a starting budget of almost €120 million — expected to rise to €500 million for the year — and a force of 3,700 from 22 states. The majority are French but Ireland has the second highest force with 450 people.