The Army's deployment to Chad to participate in a much delayed EU mission got under way yesterday, with 50 members of its Ranger wing arriving in the central African country as part of the mission's entry force. Mary Fitzgerald, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, reports.
The Rangers arrived in Chad's capital N'Djamena at 10.45am yesterday after flying from Dublin airport via Italy on a charter aircraft.
A spokesman for the EU mission, known as EUfor, told The Irish Timeslast night that the troops were later flown to Abeche, the main town in eastern Chad and a hub for humanitarian organisations working in the region. Vehicles and equipment will be transported to Chad via Antonov heavy-lift aircraft from Saturday and will continue over the subsequent three to four days. The Irish troops are due to stay in Abeche for one week before returning to N'Djamena to collect their equipment, Cmdt Dan Harvey said.
They will spend this week engaged in familiarisation and reconnaissance work with special forces from other EUfor participating countries, he added.
The Rangers will work on identifying suitable base camp locations for the main contingent of Irish troops who are due to arrive in the region over the next months.
The mission has been delayed twice due to a shortfall of medical and logistical resources, and more recently because a rebel attack on N'djamena resulted in the closure of the city's main airport. About 200 EU troops, including eight Irish soldiers, are already on the ground in Chad, having arrived before the rebel offensive almost three weeks ago.
The full Irish contingent of more than 400 troops is expected to be in place in mid-May. Ireland is providing the second-largest number of troops to the 3,700-strong force, which is drawn from 14 EU member states. The mission has a year-long UN mandate to protect civilians, including Darfuri refugees and Chadians displaced by local unrest and sheltering in camps in eastern Chad near the border with Sudan.