Seán Connick (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I am delighted to get the opportunity to make a contribution to the debate on the deployment of the Irish peacekeepers to Chad. I listened to the debate as it developed throughout the day and I support my colleague, Deputy O'Rourke, in her comment that there is no such thing as a safe mission. I have great confidence in the ability and professionalism of the Irish troops in the role they will play in ensuring that this operation will be a success.

Since Ireland joined the United Nations in 1955, our peacekeeping forces have enhanced this country's reputation internationally. We have gained a standing as a small, neutral country which has always been prepared to play its part to alleviate humanitarian suffering in many troubled parts of the world and we are now known as an honest broker which strives to build peace in a non-partisan manner. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of Ireland's first involvement in overseas peace support operations. Since our soldiers were first sent on overseas duties as part of the United Nations observer group in Lebanon in 1958, we have maintained a continuous involvement in United Nations mandated peacekeeping missions. Our soldiers have served with distinction in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and closer to home in both Cyprus and the former Yugoslavia. However, this service to world peace has not been without a cost and, unfortunately, 85 of our servicemen paid the ultimate price to bring peace and stability to many troubled areas of the world. We must always be mindful of their sacrifices when we are debating issues such as this.

I support the Minister for Defence's proposal to continue this fine tradition of peacekeeping by involving Irish peacekeepers in the United Nations mandated peacekeeping mission to Chad. The border regions of Chad, the Central African Republic and the Darfur area of Sudan are now one of the most volatile areas of Africa. The United Nations has sanctioned this intervention because it regards this instability as a threat to the peace and security of the entire region.

Although Irish people are familiar with the conflict and suffering in Darfur, this conflict has spilt out over international borders and the suffering involved is now seen in a number of countries. In the eastern region of Chad where the Irish peacekeepers will be based, there are now an estimated 236,000 refugees from Sudan. In the same region are an estimated 180,000 natives of Chad who have been driven from their homes by the conflicts in their own country. In addition, 43,000 refugees from the Central African Republic have fled to Chad and another 20,000 to Cameroon. The conflict in Darfur and the many other regional conflicts on the borders of Chad and the Central African Republic have destroyed the lives of hundreds of thousands and possibly up to a million innocent men, women and children.

The refugee camps on the Chad-Darfur border, which are now home to up to half a million people, are rife with malnutrition and disease. Children, in particular, are suffering serious levels of deprivation in these refugee camps and it would be remiss of us at this stage if we did not acknowledge the important role Irish Aid workers are playing in refugee camps in the region, trying to bring aid to many of those suffering.

Adding to the suffering felt in the refugee camps are the ongoing campaigns of violence and harassment towards the refugees. The camps have suffered in recent years from attacks by rebel groups based in Chad and from cross-border raids launched by the Janjaweed militia from Darfur. These rebel groups use hit and run tactics to launch quick attacks on refugee camps and then disappear quickly. They operate opportunistically, targeting weaker groups such as refugees and isolated local populations, but they do not appear to have the strength to engage in any form of prolonged fight with stronger forces. The Janjaweed militia has also engaged in a scorched earth policy of burning abandoned villages and poisoning water supplies. Tactics such as these make the resettlement of refugees far more difficult. The ready availability of weapons has presented the problem of aid workers becoming attractive targets for kidnapping for ransom, which adds to the difficulties already faced in the refugee camps.

While a ceasefire has been brokered between the Government of Chad and a number of the main rebel groups, it does not appear to be operating effectively. The two largest rebel groups appear to be abandoning their ceasefires, with heavy fighting taking place this past weekend just 60 miles from Abéche, the town that will serve as the base for Irish military operations in Chad.

The proposed involvement of Irish soldiers in peacekeeping duties in Chad is part of an EU operation under a mandate of the United Nations. On 25 September, Resolution 1778 to establish the United Nations Mission in Chad and in the Central African Republic received the unanimous support of the UN Security Council. The EU force is authorised to support the UN mission to carry out its objectives of protecting all civilians in danger in the region, particularly refugees and displaced persons, re-establishing human rights and the rule of law, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid and the free movement of aid workers by improving security and protecting UN personnel and equipment in the region.

The situation in eastern Chad, Darfur and in neighbouring regions of Africa is one of the most serious humanitarian crises facing the world. I urge all sides of the House to support this proposal to allow Ireland to continue its fine tradition of peacekeeping and humanitarian aid. I hope that all sides recognise that the mission to Chad was established with the unanimous support of the Security Council, the first body in the triple lock process required to authorise the deployment of Irish peacekeeping forces. As the Cabinet has approved this mission, we only require the consent of Dáil Éireann to allow members of the Defence Forces to play their part in alleviating suffering in this most impoverished of regions.

If Dáil Éireann supports this proposal to allow the participation of Irish peacekeeping troops in the mission to Chad, Ireland will play a central role in the mission. We have already been honoured by an Irishman, Lieutenant General Pat Nash, being chosen as the mission's operation commander, which is surely a recognition of the high regard in which the abilities of the men and women of the Defence Forces are held throughout the world. If approval is given by the Dáil, Ireland will have the second largest complement of troops in the mission after France, comprising 10% of the total force.

This mission will be the Defence Forces's most ambitious and demanding overseas assignment to date. However, the significant investment the Minister has made in military equipment in recent years means this will be the best equipped Irish mission to ever go overseas. The Irish contingent of the EU mission will be based on a mechanised infantry battalion group comprising manoeuvre elements and combat support elements. The up-to-date equipment they will bring will include Mowag armoured vehicles, special reconnaissance vehicles and logistical vehicles, a full range of force protection assets and firing capabilities, including mortars and machine guns. This range of modern, state-of-the-art military equipment shows the progress that has been made by the Defence Forces since our first large peacekeeping assignment in the Congo in the early 1960s. It will certainly be our most prepared military contingent to go overseas.

From a geographical point of view, Chad presents a number of challenges that will make this a logistically difficult operation. It is several times larger than any country in western Europe and the nearest port is almost 2,000 km away. Roads and basic infrastructure are almost non-existent and, of the country's two airstrips, only one can handle large aircraft. This will pose considerable challenges in ensuring that our troops are adequately resourced and that they receive every piece of equipment needed to enable them to complete their mission in a safe manner.

There are those who feel that, for these reasons, we should not allow Irish troops to take part in the mission, but I am reassured by the fact that the Taoiseach has already informed the Dáil that the final assigning of troops to Chad will be subject to the force commander being satisfied that these logistical problems are solved. We should also commend the Minister for Defence for the work he undertook at the recent Council of Defence Ministers meeting to ensure these logistical issues are overcome.

While this mission has been assessed as medium risk, the experience the Defence Forces received on their recent successful mission to Liberia will help to minimise the danger to our personnel. One of the greatest challenges our troops will face will be from the local environment, but the environment in Chad is similar to that in Liberia and our soldiers will have knowledge and first-hand experience of what they will face. Militarily, our troops will face similar opponents to those in Liberia, where the rebel groups did not have the capability to engage superior, better equipped and better trained soldiers. Irish peacekeepers in Liberia had little engagement with the rebel groups. French soldiers already on the ground in Chad are reporting that a similar situation exists there and that their strength and equipment is ensuring that the rebels have been unwilling to engage them to date.

I urge all sides of the House to give unanimous support to this proposal. Allowing our troops to engage in a UN mandated peacekeeping mission to Chad will not only enable us to continue our noble tradition of peacekeeping, but it will also help to bring much needed relief to some of the most deprived refugees in the world. I wish Lieutenant General Nash and all the men and women of the Defence Forces who will serve on this mission a successful and safe deployment to Chad.

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