By Brian Johnson - 20th September 2007
MEPs have raised a number of questions over EU plans to deploy up to 4000 troops in Eastern Chad and the Central Africa Republic.
The proposed year long EU-UN operation is primarily aimed at protecting the estimated 400,000 refugees who have fled either fighting in Chad or the conflict in neighbouring Darfur in Sudan and are now living in camps in the east of the country.
Portuguese Socialist MEP, Ana Gomes, a vice chair of parliament’s subcommittee on security and defence, told the Parliament.com that in principle she is in favour of a “robust mission” in Chad and neighbouring Central African Republic.
“[But] there are several important considerations that will have to be part of the thinking behind this mission,” said Gomes.
“This mission must have a chapter VII mandate and robust rules of engagement that allow for an effective protection of civilians, including pre-emptive action.”
Chapter VII of the UN charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace and security".
There are concerns that the EU troops, the bulk of which are expected to be French, could find themselves caught in the crossfire between warring factions, especially clashes between Chad rebels and government troops.
France has deployed troops in the region since 1986 and has in the past, openly supported Chad president Idriss Deby’s war on rebel forces.
Chad rebel leader Armine Ben Barka has warned that he expects the EU force to take a neutral position over the long-running conflict, especially when fighting is expected to intensify towards the end of the year when the rainy season ends.
“In order to make sure the force is seen as being neutral, it must be seen as being distinct from the French "Epervier" mission; it is crucial that the diversity of countries contributing to the force must be as large as possible,” Gomes argues.
She also wants the force to be sent as soon as “to avoid a big gap between the end of the rainy season and deployment.”
However, former soldier and vice chair of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, EPP group deputy Geoffrey Van Orden earlier this week questioned the EU’s involvement.
"The EU has been keen to put its label on another military operation and France is only too pleased to spread the load of its central African commitments,” said Van Orden on Wednesday.
"Chad is one of five central African countries seen to be of key political importance to France where she has been continually engaged since 1986.
"The current problems of Chad are compounded by the influx of thousands of refugees from the Sudan as well as cross-border military incursions. The situation in the region will only improve when Khartoum is persuaded to cooperate with the international community in response to UN Security Council resolutions.
"With extended lines of communication - over a thousand miles to the nearest seaport, lack of water resources and infrastructure, a reluctance to take on rebel groups with offensive military operations, and more pressing priorities for European troops under NATO command elsewhere, it is questionable if the EU should try to fly its flag in this way. "
Fellow EPP MEP Colm Burke has tabled several questions, with no reply yet, to member state ministers on the role of the mission, including a request on the national make-up of the force.
“Can the Council elaborate on discussions held concerning a large part of this force coming from the 2400-strong Nordic battle group, led by Sweden with Finnish, Estonian, Irish and Norwegian troops?” Burke asked earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Gomes argues that it is crucial to secure the consent of the Chadian government to a follow-on mission “and make sure that the UN civilian and police component be deployed in parallel.”
“At the same time as the force is deployed, the EU must struggle to set up a comprehensive peace process between President Déby and the Chadian rebels, which must address the root causes of the conflict: conflict between local communities over resources and between government and opposition.
“As a first step to guarantee that the EU's mission will contribute to the long-term resolution of conflicts in its area of operations, the force must include a significant number of human rights, rule of law, and political affairs personnel to begin to facilitate this peace process on the ground.
“This mission must not only be equipped with a well-trained gender focal point (as was the case in the EUFOR DRC mission in 2006) to advise the European military and civilian leadership of the mission - it must have the resources (human and otherwise) that will allow it to cope with a conflict where gender-based and sexual violence is common.”
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