THE GOVERNMENT’s decision to withdraw Irish troops from the UN mission in Chad has raised eyebrows at UN headquarters in New York, with sources arguing that the move could have a negative impact on continuing talks with Chadian authorities over the future of the force.
The decision to pull out comes at a particularly delicate time for the mission known as Minurcat, which replaced a UN-mandated EU force last year. The UN Security Council recently renewed Minurcat’s mandate until May 15th to allow time for talks on the future of the mission, which is tasked with protecting Darfuri refugees and displaced Chadians as well as facilitating humanitarian assistance. Chad’s president Idriss Déby has demanded Minurcat’s withdrawal, claiming the country’s security forces could now provide security.
A high-level UN team is in the Chadian capital N’Djamena for negotiations with Déby’s government. A UN diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Irish Times that, given the talks are at a “critical juncture”, the Irish decision to announce a withdrawal this week was ill-timed.
“While everyone understands that this is a sovereign decision by the Irish Government, the timing of the announcement is unfortunate. It compromises our flexibility in negotiating with the Chadian authorities,” the source said. “It makes it a lot harder for the United Nations to argue against the Chadian position because it sends a signal that member states are already leaving.”
Earlier this week, Minister for Defence Tony Killen insisted that the withdrawal was “not a decision we wanted to have to make”. Lack of certainty over the continuation of the UN mandate and the approaching rainy season had “forced” the decision on the Government, he said.
The UN diplomat said Ireland’s decision to pull out was unfortunate given the leading role Irish soldiers had played in the force.
“Irish troops were central to the mission and were relied on heavily in implementing the more difficult aspects of Minurcat’s mandate,” the source added.
Yesterday, Finland’s foreign minister Alexander Stubb said Finnish troops, which are part of an Irish-led unit in Chad, are likely to leave the country by mid-May.
The UN’s humanitarian chief, John Holmes, has argued that the mission is still needed. “We really fear the consequences if the force were withdrawn,” he said earlier this year. Organisations including Human Rights Watch have warned that dissolving the mission would expose civilians in eastern Chad to increased violence and human rights abuses.
More than 2,500 members of the Defence Forces have completed tours in Chad since Minurcat’s predecessor, the EU mission known as EUfor, deployed under the command of Irish general Pat Nash in 2008. The troops rotate on a four-month basis, with just over 400 soldiers serving at any one time at the Irish base in Goz Beida.
Given the logistical challenges of operating in the remote eastern region of landlocked Chad, the withdrawal is expected to take several weeks. Some 200 Irish troops are expected to leave Chad around the end of the month. The remaining 200 are expected to return to Ireland by mid-May. The Defence Forces will send specialist teams to dismantle the camp at Goz Beida and prepare weapons for transport back to Ireland. “We expect to have everything out by the end of May,” a source said.
The Chad withdrawal means that by the end of this year only 90-100 Irish soldiers will be serving overseas, the lowest number since the 1970s. Irish troops currently participate in missions in several locations, including the Balkans and Afghanistan, where seven are serving in the Kabul base of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force.