THE EU mission to eastern Chad, which includes 450 Irish troops, faces a "testing time" in the next months as the region's rainy season ends, allowing rebels and bandits to move around more easily, its Irish commander Gen Patrick Nash has warned.
In an interview with The Irish TimesGen Nash reviewed the performance of the mission, known as Eufor, and offered his assessment of challenges to come. "We are quite satisfied with what we have achieved in the first six months, having overcome considerable obstacles," he said, adding that the UN-mandated Eufor now comprises almost 3,500 troops, with 24 countries represented within its ranks. "We went into a very difficult situation. We went into a vast country with a small force but the impact we have had has been out of all proportion to the size of the force."
Last week, the UN Security Council passed a resolution extending the mandate of the joint Eufor/Minurcat mission to March of next year, and said it would keep international peacekeepers there beyond that date. In 2007, it decided to deploy the EU force in tandem with Minurcat - a UN police mission tasked with training their Chadian counterparts and helping them guard refugee camps. Eufor is mandated with creating a secure local environment to protect civilians and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Gen Nash said Eufor had succeeded in having a deterrent effect. "Our presence appears to have had an impact on large groups who were terrorising villages in the area . . . No refugee or IDP camp has been attacked since we started deployment which was not the case before."
A recent report prepared by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon echoed several other reports issued by NGOs in concluding that, while Eufor had begun to have a deterrent effect, the overall security situation in eastern Chad had deteriorated. Several humanitarian agencies have blamed this on the fact the second component of the joint mission - the UN police force - is not yet fully operational.
"There are areas where there is a lot to do," acknowledged Gen Nash, adding that the complexity of the situation in eastern Chad, where ever-shifting rebel alliances, together with tribal tensions and banditry, have contributed to local insecurity, means a "broader, multidimensional approach is needed to address the bigger picture".
With the rainy season drawing to a close, Eufor is assessing possible scenarios that may arise in the second half of the deployment.
Rebel groupings opposed to Chadian president Idriss Deby have recently undergone leadership and other changes, and may mount another offensive on the capital N'Djamena, similar to earlier this year. The rebels may also "make a nuisance of themselves" in eastern Chad, says Gen Nash. "Attempts by rebel groups to create as much insecurity as possible in the region could make life very difficult for us . . . We are prepared for the worst-case scenario which would be if a group tried to embroil us in a situation . . . We have a testing time coming up."
But the Irish commander of Eufor stressed his troops are "well-armed . . . well-protected . . . and with good resources in the air and on the ground". Gen Nash described Eufor's relations with the Chadian regime as "workmanlike" with the force holding weekly meetings with government officials. In a nod to Chad's volatile internal dynamics, he added: "We're somebody's friend today and enemy tomorrow." But, he stressed, the mission has been "fully successful" in establishing its credibility and impartiality both with the government and rebels.
"We will stick to our mandate which has stood us in good stead . . . I tell my men that if we do that we have nothing to fear."
Asked if there had been any tensions within Eufor, particularly between France, which has maintained a separate military presence in Chad for more than two decades, and other contributing nations, Gen Nash replied: "Remarkably no . . . but what household does not have disagreements? We deal in a professional military way with whatever issue comes before us."
Relations with Opération Épervier, the separate French force, have been "very good", he said, adding the passing on of "knowledge, contacts and information on logistics" by Épervier has been of "tremendous benefit" to Eufor. Water supplies remain the main logistical difficulty for the EU mission, Gen Nash said, with the force having to ensure it does not jeopardise the local community's already meagre resources. "We've had water problems constantly but we are drilling and getting new resources . . ."
Looking ahead, Gen Nash said Eufor has recommended efforts are made to ensure there is no security gap before the deployment of the follow-on UN peacekeepers next year. The Security Council has asked Ban Ki-moon to start planning and raising troops and logistics, but the EU mission may have to remain in place beyond its original March withdrawal date to ensure continuity. "Whatever happens on March 15th, we want to make sure that we were successful and that we made a difference," Gen Nash said. "To what degree remains to be seen."