David Cronin
17 December 2007
Brussels — The deployment of a European Union peacekeeping force in Eastern Chad has fallen behind schedule amid fears that its French-dominated troops could come under attack after setting foot in the troubled African state.
Initially, the EU had signalled its desire to have the 3,000-strong force, known as Eufor, operational by mid-November, when the dry season was expected to begin.
Not only was that deadline missed, there has also been a fresh outbreak of fighting between soldiers loyal to Chad President Idriss Déby and rebels commanded by Mahamat Nouri. Nouri's Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UNFDD) declared Nov. 30 that they were "in a state of belligerence against the French army or any other foreign force on the national territory."
His rebels accuse France of bias in favour of Déby.
The French government has argued that the resumption of hostilities increases the need for a peacekeeping force as quickly as possible. But other EU governments have asked if the neutrality of the force would be compromised.
Norbert Darabos, Austria's defence minister, has warned of a "danger of direct engagement of Eufor in armed confrontations".
Irish Lt-Gen Pat Nash has been named Eufor chief. But France, Chad's former colonial overlord, will be the single largest provider of troops.
In theory, the force will have a different chain of command and separate facilities from Epervier, the French military operation stationed in Chad capital N'Djamena and the eastern town Abéché. Under a bilateral agreement in 1976, the 1,200-strong Epervier is designed to "guarantee the sovereignty of the Chadian state."
Eufor, meanwhile, has been mandated to provide protection to the 400,000 refugees in Chad, many of whom have been uprooted by the violence in Darfur across the country's border with Sudan.
Nonetheless, a certain degree of interdependence between the two operations is foreseen. Epervier is due to provide back-up support to Eufor in fuel, air transport and medical aid.
"On the one hand, it is logical that France takes the lead," said David Mozersky from the International Crisis Group, which campaigns on conflict resolution issues. "The French already have forces in an existing base in Eastern Chad.
"But it is important that it is more than just a French operation, that it is happening under an EU flag," he told IPS. "It needs to differentiate itself from the existing French operation."
While EU governments formally approved Eufor in October, most of the Union's 27 countries have been reluctant to provide troops. Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Austria and Ireland are expected to be the main contributors.
Ireland, which is to send 450 troops, recently issued an appeal to ensure that the force has the resources required to fulfil its mission. Willie O'Dea, defence minister in the Dublin government, said there has been some "movement" since he called for greater assistance from other EU countries.
Ireland had planned to dispatch an advanced party of 50 Army Rangers to Chad, but this has been postponed until early 2008, following concerns about a dearth of air and other logistical support. The rest of the Irish contingent is expected to land in Chad in February or March.
According to O'Dea, at least three helicopters suitable for medical or evacuation purposes will be needed in Abéché, where the Irish troops will be located.
Günter Verheugen, vice-president of the European Commission, has said that the EU will "do whatever it can" to deploy the promised forces.
Yet, some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) sounded a sceptical note.
Belgian Socialist Alain Hutchinson called on all EU member states to take part in order "to demonstrate that this is a European force."
Humanitarian law has been "trampled on" during fighting in Chad and Sudan, he added, pointing out that several months after Eufor had been agreed, its deployment has "still not happened."
Spanish Green Raül Romeva contended that the force has been "excessively linked to France, and this could have a detrimental effect."
He underscored his concern about attacks carried out by the Janjaweed, which is widely believed to be a proxy force for the Sudanese government, in Darfur, and its incursions into Chad.
"This is a very sad example of how women are often used as sexual objects in a state of war," he added. "Rape has been a weapon of war, particularly in the refugee camps, though not limited to them."
Mary Lou McDonald, an MEP with the Irish left-wing party Sinn Féin, said there is "absolutely no doubt that intervention is required in Chad" because the "teeming human misery in that part of our world is unbearable."
But she argued that having the mission dominated by France "verges on the provocative" and is "deeply, deeply unwise."
German conservative Bernd Posselt said that the EU governments are "taking too long" to deploy troops.
"We need the experience of France," he added. "We also need the African Union and the Arab League to be involved. For the time being, they are reluctant to get involved. But that doesn't let us off the hook."
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