Officer's book on Irish mission in Chad gives frank account of events

A NEW book on the Defence Forces’ mission in Chad reveals previously unknown details of high security incidents involving Irish troops there, including one contentious violent event that drew criticism of the Irish from the UNHCR at the time.

Peace Enforcers: The EU Military Intervention in Chad, by Comdt Dan Harvey, reveals for the first time that vehicles carrying Irish troops were hit when they came under mortar and gun fire.

During the Chad mission Comdt Harvey, who is from Cork, was based as a press officer in the international peace enforcement mission (EUfor) headquarters in Paris.

He devotes a portion of his book, which was launched by Taoiseach Brian Cowen last night, to a serious incident in June 2008 that drew criticism of Irish troops from a senior UNHCR official.

At the time anti-government rebels were pouring into the area of eastern Chad around Goz Beida, where some 400 Irish troops were based. Some rebels drove into Goz Beida attacking a UNHCR compound, firing weapons and looting.

The UNHCR’s spokeswoman in Chad, Annette Rehrl, was critical of the Irish at the time. She said while the Irish evacuated her staff, this took place only after the rebels had completed their attack.

“The Irish in Goz Beida were not able to protect or prevent the looting because they simply were not there. There was shooting going on and they did not appear,” she said.

The then minister for defence Willie O’Dea disputed Ms Rehrl’s version, saying the Irish troops had “acted immediately”.

While Comdt Harvey’s account describes the UNHCR’s criticism as “incredible”, he corroborates the sequence of events outlined by Ms Rehrl. He says it was a group of Dutch troops, rather than Irish, that were sent by the Irish commanding officer to answer the call for help from the UNHCR.

When the Dutch travelled from the Camp Ciara Irish base into Goz Beida they found “100 to 120” armed rebels already in the UNHCR compound.

“They entered the compound firing their AK-47 assault rifles and began stealing vehicles, fuel and satellite phones, only for the Dutch to arrive,” Comdt Harvey writes.

He says while Irish personnel were sent after a time to assist the Dutch, the Irish troops “stood off at the market square” to avoid inflaming the situation.

“With the Dutch refusing to blink, the rebels left.”

Comdt Harvey reveals that during the same unrest and with 2,000 rebels in the area, an Irish vehicle observing fighting between rebels and Chadian army came under “direct heavy fire” and its communication kit failed.

Armoured personnel carriers also came under “unintentional” mortar and gunfire “their [vehicles] taking several hits”. Their communications equipment proved to be “poor”.

The Irish eventually fired warning shots and escaped safely.

Overall, Comdt Harvey’s book is perhaps more frank than one would expect from an officer still serving and who worked on media relations during the mission.

A “mix up” by the Defence Forces in leasing helicopters that could not be used to carry troops in Chad because of licencing problems is described as “an expensive error and meant the Irish had to manage for four months without personnel transportation”.

The book claims a small group of the Army Ranger wing were “surrounded, surprised and seriously outnumbered” and their lives in danger when they unexpectedly encountered 200 armed rebels in a village while on patrol.

The troops opened dialogue with the rebels, posed for photographs with them and left. Comdt Harvery says the same group of rebels had “played a major role” in an attack weeks earlier on the Chadian capital N’Djamena, in which hundreds were killed.

The Chadian government was concerned at the encounter and queried “the manner of the encounter and the photograph”.

WORDS ON A MISSION IRISH TROOPS UNDER PRESSURE AND TAKING FIRE

"They were taking even heavier fire than before, both mortar and heavy machine gun, with at least one rocket-propelled grenade fired into the area they occupied" - On Irish troops coming under attack while isolated in a vehicle

"A tense stand-off had developed: rebels with rocket propelled grenades, Irish with short range anti-armour weapons, pointing at each other nervously" - On rebel troops massing at an airstrip adjacent to the Irish camp

"They were on the verge of going head to head . . . a nervous twitching trigger finger could inadvertently cause the scene to transcend to carnage in a split second" - On a stand-off between EUfor troops and rebels