THE GOVERNMENT has decided to withdraw more than 400 Irish troops from the United Nations (UN) peace enforcement mission in Chad because of uncertainty around the future of the mission.
Minister for Defence Tony Killeen said the withdrawal would happen very quickly because the rainy season began in May, by which time roads would be impassable. This would make it impossible to withdraw the Defence Force's vehicles, its prefab-style buildings on the Irish base and other large pieces of kit.
He said safety of troops and equipment would be compromised unless the full withdrawal was achieved before May and while a UN mandate was still in place.
Irish troops were deployed to Chad in May 2008. They are mostly based at the Irish camp in Goz Beida in the east.
The government of Chad in recent months has repeatedly said it wants the military component of the multinational UN peace enforcement mission, Minurcat, to leave.
