DEFENCE FORCES Chief of Staff Lieut Gen Dermot Earley and Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea have defended Irish troops deployed in eastern Chad after aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) withdrew from the area saying it had become too dangerous.
Mr O’Dea said Irish troops were ready and able to quickly and decisively assist any aid agency that requested help, as he said they had done in June when a UNHCR base was attacked near the Irish camp in Goz Beida. “The organisation in question [MSF] didn’t, as far as I know, request our help at any stage. They have to take their own view of the situation.” Lieut Gen Earley said Irish troops patrolled Goz Beida day and night. “They are constantly working to ensure they have a presence in the area and to ensure people are safe.”
MSF last week announced it had withdrawn its staff from Goz Beida, citing an increase in armed attacks on its personnel.
Around 450 Irish troops are based in Camp Ciara at Goz Beida. They are part of the 3,700-strong EUfor peace enforcement mission in Chad. It is mandated by the UN to shore up security for refugees and to provide a safe environment in which aid can be delivered and aid workers can travel freely.
MSF said it withdrew after its health centres in Goz Beida and Ade, which are in the area the Irish are responsible for securing, were attacked 10 days ago.
The incidents followed armed attacks against other NGOs and a UN vehicle hijacking.
A spokesman for EUfor said MSF’s withdrawal was “not necessarily” a reflection on EUfor’s performance in the region. “Combating banditry and criminality specifically is not what we’re in Chad to do,” he said.
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