Irish troops in Chad start air operation

MORE THAN 100 Irish troops serving in Chad have begun a major airborne operation on the border region with Sudan in a bid to shore up security in rural regions close to Darfur.

The Irish troops, around 125 of whom are involved in the latest operation, were airlifted from their camp at Goz Beida in eastern Chad at first light yesterday morning and deployed by helicopter to five locations.

After overnighting on the outskirts of local villages, the troops were due to be collected by helicopter again today and deployed to other locations along the Chad-Sudan border.

The airborne exercise will allow the Irish to visit a much larger area of Chad in the next week to 10 days than would have been possible by travelling overland. The troops will trek up to 10km per day in an effort to explore as large an area as possible.

They will meet local village chiefs and representatives of NGOs working in the area. They will also distribute literature in French and Arabic to locals, explaining the purpose of their EUfor peace enforcement mission in Chad.

The soldiers will be re-supplied by a fleet of French and Polish helicopters as well as some Russian-owned helicopters leased by the Irish serving with EUfor in Chad.

Sources have described the deployment as a "major impact" operation aimed at demonstrating EUfor's strength in the region.

It is designed to reassure locals that a major, well-equipped force is on hand to protect them while at the same time acting as a show of strength to any rebel groups in the Chad/Sudan border area.

The airborne deployment is taking place as a group of up to 5,000 heavily armed rebels are gathering just over the Sudanese border. The reason they are gathering is unclear, but much smaller rebel groups have been responsible for unrest in the Irish area of operation in recent months.

During an attack on Goz Beida in June, Irish peace enforcement troops were fired on by rebels and returned fire.

The ongoing airborne exercise is the first time since the start of EUfor's mission that Irish troops have been deployed in a wide region by air.

The patrols carried out by the Irish to date have been done using vehicles. Such patrols are now impossible because the rainy season has made Chad's dirt roads impassable.

Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea said the latest operation was an example of the "excellent" work being carried out by EUfor.

"The Irish personnel are already making a significant difference on the ground and are enhancing Ireland's international reputation as neutral, impartial and professional peacekeepers."

Comdt Dan Harvey, a spokesman for EUfor in Paris, said the movement of troops around a wide region would give confidence to people returning to their homes after violence in rural areas.

The Irish account for around one-half of the 250 troops being moved by air with the French, Austrian and Polish forces serving with EUfor making up the other half.

There are a total of 3,700 troops from European countries serving with EUfor's peace enforcement mission in Chad.

EUfor is shoring up security in the region and offering protection to refugees who had fled fighting in Darfur and to internally displaced people.