IRISH TROOPS will stay in Chad beyond March 2009 if the “fairly ambitious deadline” to replace the EUfor force with a traditional UN “blue helmet” peacekeeping mission cannot be met, Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea has told the Dáil.
He also suggested the UN might introduce some “hybrid” force drawn from the EU and the African Union.
Some 400 Defence Forces personnel are currently serving in Chad, protecting up to 450,000 people in refugee camps who have fled the conflict in Darfur in Sudan.
Mr O’Dea said “a mid-term review will be conducted next month and it is intended that a traditional UN blue helmet mission will be ready to replace the current EUfor mission in Chad before March 15th, 2009, so there will be no hiatus”.
“If that is successful, I’ve no doubt we will be approached to contribute to the UN mission but if they don’t meet that ambitious deadline and I think it is fairly ambitious, no doubt the present operation will continue in some shape or form and, again, we will be asked to contribute.” The Minister added that “that decision will be taken by the Government”.
Labour defence spokesman Jack Wall said there had been reports that the UN “is declining to meet the financial implication of the mission to Chad”, a projected €77 million.
Mr O’Dea said the cost would be “57 million, a large part of which covers the transportation of equipment to the region”. He did not know “whether a hybrid arrangement can be reached if the UN is unable to step up to the mark but that is a matter for negotiation”.
