Irish peacekeepers ready for 'rebel season' in Chad
Wednesday August 27 2008
IRISH peacekeeping troops in Chad are gearing up for a tough six months as rebel forces step up their offensive.
Intelligence reports available to military commanders in the Eufor mission indicate that rebel groups are planning a fresh campaign as the current rainy season comes to an end.
This was revealed yesterday by Defence Minister Willie O'Dea who said the rebels were expected to be "fairly active" in the six months between September and March.
This view was supported by military sources, who told the Irish Independent last night that contingency plans were currently being finalised by commanders at the Eufor headquarters in Paris and on the ground in Chad to combat the anticipated rebel activity.
A decision on the future of the mission is expected to be taken by the United Nations in New York next month.
The mission was set up initially by the EU at the request of the UN for a year and is due to end on March 15.
A military assessment of the mission at the half-way stage has already been submitted to the UN for consideration by the Eufor operations commander, Lieutenant-General Pat Nash, and a separate political report has also been drawn up.
Three options are on the table in New York:
l End the mission in March -- this is the least likely option
l Turn it into a "blue hat" mission with UN troops replacing the EU
l Extend the existing mission for a further three, six or nine months until arrangements have been completed for a full handover to the UN.
Military observers at present think that an extension is the favourite option as a stop-gap measure.
Senior officers have made it clear that, whatever decision is reached by the UN, it is critical that no security gap should be allowed to develop.
Officers point out that Eufor has created a momentum. This has been maintained and they believe it should not be lost in any handover.
A handover would have major financial implications for the Government here as the UN would pick up the tab for the deployment of the Irish peacekeeping troops.
Cost
At the moment the Government is paying for the troop contribution as it is an EU mission and the overall cost this year is estimated at €57m.
Mr O'Dea said operations carried out by the troops, including the Irish, in recent weeks indicated that the mission so far had been very successful, and while he would not be surprised if there was a lot of rebel activity in the next five to six months, he expected that the soldiers "would be able to handle themselves". Last week, Austrian special forces came under fire from rebels near the Sudanese border and returned fire, killing one gunman and wounding another. Mr O'Dea said that any decision in March on the continuing involvement of the Irish troops in either an extension of the existing Eufor mission or a handover to the UN would have to be approved by the Cabinet and then placed before the Dail for consideration.
Mr O'Dea was at the Curragh yesterday where 40 children from Israel, Palestine, Belgium and the Moyross area of Limerick were completing a 21-day programme aimed at teaching them tolerance, respect and understanding.
The programme was drawn up by the Arts for Peace Foundation, whose patron is Nobel Prize winner John Hume, with accommodation and other support provided by the Defence Forces and the Department of Defence.
- Tom Brady Security Editor
