MINISTER FOR Defence Tony Killeen has left open the possibility that Irish troops serving in Chad could remain in the country but only if the United Nations (UN) secures an extension for its Chad mandate in the next week.
Mr Killeen said it would take some time to withdraw the Defence Forces’ personnel and equipment from the country.
Any withdrawal would need to be complete before the rainy season starts next month and before the UN’s mandate expires on May 15th.
“The decision [to withdraw] has been made. We will however keep the matter under review for the longest possible time . . . a week or so at the very most,” said Mr Killeen.
Defence sources said contracts would need to be signed with haulage, rail and shipping companies at the end of next week if the withdrawal was to be complete by May 15th.
It was likely half of the Irish troops would return to Ireland at the end of this month with the remaining 200 leaving days later.
Most of the equipment, including a large fleet of vehicles, would be taken by rail or truck to the port of Douala in Cameroon, to be shipped to Ireland. Some kit would be flown out.
The road and rail-dependent element of the withdrawal will only be possible before the rainy season makes Chad’s network of dirt tracks impassable.
A UN delegation is in Chad’s capital N’Djamena to secure an extension to the mandate. What are seen as last ditch talks are planned for April 8th.
The government of Chad has repeatedly made it clear to the UN multinational peace-keeping mission, Minurcat, that it is not welcome once the current mandate expires.
The Irish Government has been pressing the UN for months for clarity on any mandate extension.
However, because the UN has not been able to indicate whether the mandate would be extended, the Government made the decision this week to withdraw.
Fine Gael’s spokesman on defence Jimmy Deenihan said the Government should have made no announcement while the UN’s talks were at “a critical juncture”.
He believed the timing of the announcement had angered the UN and had weakened its hand in its negotiations with Chad.
“If the Irish withdraw it’s more likely other nations will do the same and that undermines the whole mission,” he said.
Withdrawing troops would do Ireland’s reputation “untold damage”. The Government should have waited for “two or three weeks” before making any decision, thus giving the talks between the UN and Chad more time, he said.
Mr Killeen said the UN was aware of Ireland’s position long before Tuesday’s announcement. The Government had little choice in the timing of its decision to withdraw because the current mandate was very close to expiry and because of the logistics of withdrawal.
The UN wants its mandate extended because it does not believe the situation in Chad is yet sufficiently stable to allow its withdrawal.
Irish troops cannot remain in Chad under national or international law without a UN mandate.
If the withdrawal had still not been completed by the time the mandate expires the Government believes the safety of any remaining Irish troops would be compromised.
A spokeswoman for Mr Killeen dismissed reports Irish troops would now be deployed to Afghanistan saying the location of their next mission was unknown.
The Irish have been in Chad since May 2008, based at their camp in Goz Beida in the east of the country. They have provided security for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs have fled fighting in some parts of Chad and in neighbouring Darfur and are now living in vast camps.
