Next stop Chad: Troops from the 99th Infantry Battalion parade prior to UN deployment
A EUROPEAN Union peacekeeping mission to Chad, led by an Irish general, is expected to be taken over by the United Nations in the coming months.
The EU mission, known as EUfor, has been operating in Chad since last spring and is under the command of Lieut Gen Pat Nash from Co Limerick.
Some 400 Irish troops participate in the EU mission, comprised of some 3,500 soldiers overall.
The mandate for the EU mission is due to expire on March 15th, with Irish troops most likely to participate in the new UN force of some 6,000 soldiers.
The change of mandate would see Irish troops wearing the blue UN beret and would give the Department of Defence a chance to recoup much of the cost of Irish involvement from the UN.
Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea said the Government has approved, in principle, the continued participation of Defence Forces in the UN follow-on mission.
“Final approval will be considered in the context of the UN mandate, the extent to which other current EU member states contribute to the follow-on mission and the level of logistics support that will be provided,” he said.
Mr O’Dea was speaking as some 400 Irish troops bound for Chad went on parade in Dublin yesterday ahead of joining the peacekeeping mission.
Before their departure, members of the 99th Infantry Battalion were inspected at McKee Barracks by Mr O’Dea and Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieut Gen Dermot Earley.
