MINISTER FOR Defence Willie O'Dea yesterday reviewed the 97th Infantry Battalion of the Irish Defence Forces bound for Chad and the Central African Republic on May 19th.
Just hours before the review at Finner Camp near Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, news filtered through of a murderous attack by bandits in Chad, the kind of incident Irish soldiers may encounter.
The Minister was briefed about the attack, which claimed the life of a French aid worker with the Save The Children Fund. He was shot dead earlier yesterday by bandits who then escaped across the border into Sudan.
The attack happened at Forchana, just north of where the Irish troops will be based.
Mr O'Dea said: "It's a tragedy that brings home to the people of Ireland just what our soldiers will be facing.
"It also brings home that an essential part of the mission is not just to protect the people in the refugee camps, but also to ensure that humanitarian aid can get to the camps and that the people who are providing a very important service out there and getting food to the starving have adequate protection."
The Minister noted that Ireland is the second-largest troop contributor to the mission. Chad will be the first tour of duty overseas for almost 100 of the soldiers.