Move to allay fears on sending Irish troops to Africa

RACO CONFERENCE: Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieut Gen Dermot Earley and Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea have moved to allay…

RACO CONFERENCE:Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieut Gen Dermot Earley and Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea have moved to allay fears for the safety of Irish troops being deployed to Chad and the Central African Republic.

Lieut Gen Earley said that while the European Union-United Nations mandated mission would be a dangerous one, his personnel "are in the business of taking risks".

He did not believe the mission involved any greater risk of Irish troops being killed than the recently completely UN mission in Liberia. "There is no question of sending people out to ensure that they give the ultimate sacrifice. That's not part of it at all."

He had heard the deployment being described as the Defence Forces' most dangerous to date. However, he believed the personnel travelling were resourceful. "Liberia was described similarly. We came out of there with flying colours. I have no doubt we'll come out of Chad with flying colours too."

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Lieut Gen Earley was speaking at the opening session in Kilkenny of the biennial conference of the Representative Association for Commissioned Officers.

Mr O'Dea said that while planning the international deployment was taking longer than expected, he believed a large body of troops would be deployed to both countries early in the new year.

Concerns about the availability of aircraft needed to transport troops in the region and concerns around the availability of medical teams for the 4,000-strong international mission were close to being resolved. He insisted it would be the force commander, Ireland's Lieut Gen Pat Nash, who would have to be satisfied by the progress being made.

Mr O'Dea said he was aware that several hundred rebels had been killed in the region in recent days in clashes with the Chadian government. However, the 400 Irish troops and their UN colleagues were being deployed to assist with the delivery of humanitarian aid and the protection of displaced persons and not to take sides in any conflict. Such hostilities were an "internal matter" for the government of Chad.

"It's the same type of risk you get from going into any dysfunctional African country. The main risk is from groups of rebels who get together opportunistically to attack what they would see as weaker targets.

"They get around the country in 4X4s, they have been known to attack aid workers, attack civilians," the Minister added.

"These people seem to operate mainly on the Chad-Sudan border. The French who have been there tell me they haven't engaged them. Obviously they are not in a position to engage well-equipped, trained and organised groups."

Ireland's commitment to the year-long mission is expected to cost about €60 million.

The EU intervention has been sanctioned by the UN because the multiple conflicts in the border areas between Darfur, Chad and the Central African Republic are deemed to constitute a threat to peace and security in the whole region.

There are now more than 180,000 internally displaced Chadians and 236,000 Sudanese refugees in camps in eastern Chad. About 170,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since September 2005. In addition, more than 43,000 refugees from the Central African Republic are in Chad and 20,000 people are thought to have fled to Cameroon. Malnutrition has reached alarming levels, particularly among children.