Chad:The Defence Forces are expected to make a decision today on a possible date for the deployment of advance units of Irish troops as part of an EU mission to Chad as the central African country braces itself for a fresh offensive by rebels seeking to topple President Idriss Deby.
The immediate future of the EU mission, known as Eufor, remains uncertain following its postponement last week due to heavy fighting in and around Chad's capital, N'Djamena. Thousands of civilians took advantage of a lull in fighting yesterday to flee the city. The government claimed its forces had succeeded in pushing the rebels from N'Djamena, but rebel leaders insisted they had made a strategic withdrawal and threatened a renewed assault.
The UN Security Council has unanimously agreed a non-binding statement condemning the rebel attacks and urging member states to extend support to Mr Deby's government. French president Nicolas Sarkozy said France, which has a significant military presence in its former colony, would intervene only on the basis of a UN resolution. He said he had already ordered French fighter jets to monitor the border with Sudan to make sure there was no "foreign incursion".
The UN-mandated Eufor is charged with protecting Darfuri refugees and displaced Chadians sheltering in camps in the east of the country. Force commanders had wanted the mission to be ready in March and fully operational by May, with a total of some 3,700 European troops drawn from 14 member states.
A contingent of 54 Irish soldiers bound for Chad was turned back en route to Dublin airport last Thursday after hearing N'Djamena's airport had been shut because of the rebel threat. Eight Irish military personnel already in Chad remain safe and well, according to an Army spokesman. He added that the Defence Forces would make a decision on the expected date for deployment today.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said yesterday the Eufor mission should go ahead and the recent fighting proved the need for troops to protect refugees and displaced persons.
But he also defended the decision to postpone the initial deployment of Irish troops because of the fighting. "Of course we are not going to continue deployment . . . we stopped it in the last few days in order to see how the situation evolves on the ground," Mr Solana told reporters in Brussels.
"But I would wish to maintain the operation - even these events prove the need for this operation that we have designed. The operation is an operation to protect people."
Gen Henri Bentégeat, chair of the EU's military committee, is expected to brief member state ambassadors today when they meet at the EU's political and security committee to discuss the evolving military and political situation.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has warned that the turmoil in Chad could threaten the full and complete deployment of Eufor. "This standoff risks severely undermining the deployment of the Eufor force, which in turn will leave the civilian population without protection," said Tawanda Hondora, deputy director of Amnesty International's Africa programme. "Further escalation in the conflict is likely to have dire consequences for an already beleaguered civilian population in eastern Chad."
Daniel Keohane, research fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris, said that the rebel attacks should not come as any surprise because the rebels wanted to make things as difficult as possible for the EU force to deploy. "Many of the rebels see this EU force as a French force, which makes this mission undoubtedly the most dangerous ever undertaken by the EU."
Many aid agencies in Chad have evacuated personnel since the rebel offensive began last week. The World Food Programme has warned that the delivery of food aid to more than 400,000 Darfuri refugees and displaced Chadians may face serious disruption.
Concern, the only Irish aid agency with a presence in Chad, said it had no plans to withdraw its six international staff, including four Irish nationals. All six are in the far east of the country in the towns of Abeche and Goz Beida. "They are reporting that things are relatively quiet in both locations. They are safe and well," said Toireas Ní Bhriain at Concern's Dublin headquarters. "We are keeping a firm eye on the situation as it develops."