SECURITY AND surveillance patrols by Irish troops serving in the volatile region of Eastern Chad have been curtailed because the United Nations has been unable to provide sufficient levels of fuel needed for full operations.
The shortage of fuel has become so acute since the UN assumed responsibility for the mission in mid-March that a rationing system has been introduced.
The shortages have not only affected vehicle-based activities. All services powered by generators are also being restricted in the Irish Camp Ciara base in Goz Beida.
Fine Gael’s spokesman on defence Jimmy Deenihan said the purpose of the UN’s Chad mission was to shore up security in vast remote areas so that refugees, internally-displaced persons and aid workers were safe.
He said long-range patrols into the countryside by the Irish were a show of force that deterred armed rebels and bandit groupings, thus making conditions safer for the troops as well. “If they (the Irish) can’t do their patrols then they can’t fulfil their primary functions,” Mr Deenihan said.
“Fuel is a basic element of a mission in such a remote location. If there is not enough fuel for full patrolling that will certainly give the rebels and armed bandits a lot more confidence in their activities. And there are plenty of those groups where the Irish are.”
“I’m not trying to be alarmist about this, but it is very worrying and I know the Defence Forces are worried.”
He had been told by members of the Defence Forces that basic services like cooking and sanitation were restricted at the Irish camp. Air conditioning was also restricted, despite temperatures regularly reaching 50 degrees.
Fuel rationing began almost immediately the UN assumed control of the MINURCAT mission in mid-March. Up until that point the multinational peace enforcement deployment was run by the EU.
The provision of fuel and other logistical arrangements in Chad is the responsibility of the UN, not the Defence Forces.
A spokesman for the UN said the issue was being addressed. He did not respond to a number of queries, directing The Irish Timesto the Defence Forces in Dublin.
A spokesman for the Defence Forces confirmed there was a fuel shortage, saying it had arisen for a number of reasons. There had been a “time lag” in the UN putting in place contracts for the provision of fuel and this had put supply under pressure. Recent fighting in Chad had also restricted the movement of fuel.
The spokesman said the provision of fuel from Cameroon had been interrupted. The Defence Forces said the safety of Irish troops, and of those they are mandated to protect, had not been compromised. While some short-range and long-range patrols had been impacted, prudent fuel management meant the Irish were still able to operate.
The Defence Forces said the evacuation of 68 humanitarian staff on May 5th, from Goz Amer to Goz Beida 35km away, was proof the Irish were still able to discharge their responsibilities.
The staff – from the UNHCR, Oxfam and the World Food Programme – requested evacuation amid reports of armed rebels moving towards them after crossing the border from Sudan in a convoy of 4X4 vehicles.
The Defence Forces said fuel deliveries were beginning to take place into Camp Ciara at the weekend. If these did not continue the Irish had contingency plans to source their own fuel in Chad independent of the UN.
