THE UNITED Nations peace enforcement mission in Chad involving Irish troops is facing a significant rise in rebel and bandit attacks while operating at less than half its intended strength, a new UN report has concluded.
The violence is worse in the area where the Irish contingent is serving, while the shortage of troops is undermining the mission across Chad, the report by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon to the UN Security Council has found.
News that the mission is struggling comes just weeks after the McCarthy report on cutting public expenditure recommended the 411 Irish troops be withdrawn from Chad next March as a cost-saving measure.
If Ireland ends its participation, the troubled mission would be left with 2,013 personnel rather than the current 2,424.
The mission is supposed to be operating at a strength of 5,225 personnel.
In May and June there were 152 attacks on aid agencies and clashes between rebels and the Chadian army led to battles and air strikes, with 225 deaths in one operation.
Sexual violence against refugee women was continuing, albeit at reduced levels. The abduction of children to fight as soldiers was also continuing.
Fine Gael’s spokesman on defence Jimmy Deenihan TD said the continued deployment of Irish troops at their base in Goz Beida in eastern Chad was imperative if the humanitarian crisis in the area was not to be exacerbated.
“If the 411 Irish troops were withdrawn, the force would be further undermined and the people who are dependent on the United Nations for protection in Goz Beida would be left very exposed,” he said.
“It would also be a very short-sighted approach to Irish foreign policy if a decision was made to pull out of Chad.”
He added that the Irish were operating in a particularly volatile area where hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) were living in camps. Irish soldiers were providing “safety and security to people who cannot fend for themselves”.
Military sources have told The Irish Times that senior management within the Defence Forces is “totally opposed” to Ireland’s participation in Chad ending next March.
Sources said because most of the cost of the mission is being reimbursed to the Irish Government by the UN, the saving from ending Ireland’s involvement would only be in the region of €10 million to €12 million annually.
Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea told The Irish Times while visiting Chad in February that the recession would not force Ireland’s withdrawal.
“If we were transporting the equipment back this year, you could argue it would be more costly to pull out of Chad at the moment than actually stay here,” he said at the time.
However, since then Mr O’Dea has informed the UN that Ireland’s need to cut public spending might affect its ability to remain in Chad beyond next March.
The McCarthy report recommended there be no extension to the deployment beyond mid-March.
