Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Seanad, on my own behalf and that of the Minister for Defence, for providing this opportunity to outline the background to the proposed EU operation in the Republic of Chad and the Central African Republic, CAR, and the reasons the Government decided to authorise the despatch of a contingent of the Permanent Defence Force for service with the operation.

The basis of Ireland's participation in international peacekeeping is firmly grounded in the United Nations. Ireland is, and always has been, a strong and committed supporter of co-operative multilateral arrangements for collective security through the development of international organisations, particularly the United Nations. In tandem with this, Ireland has recognised and defended the primary role of the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

In recent years, the UN has recognised the advantages presented by the existence of regional organisations, such as the European Union, to which it can assign crisis management and peace support missions. Similar developments have occurred between the UN and other regional organisations. In the case of Liberia, the initial deployment of troops was from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and in the case of Kosovo it was NATO.

The increasing reliance of the UN on regional actors in crisis management situations has, in part, contributed to the impetus towards development of the European security and defence policy, ESDP. The European Union now has the capacity to mount major peacekeeping operations and to date a total of five military operations, in and outside Europe, have been undertaken by the European Union. The comprehensive range of instruments available to the European Union, including the capacity to deploy military forces, means that the European Union now has the capacity to play a major role in supporting international peace and security and in support of the United Nations.

UN-EU co-operation is being developed continuously to ensure a coherent and complementary response in peace support operations. There is also increasing co-operation between the UN and the EU in the area of crisis management with EU involvement in the areas of "rule of law" including courts and prisons, civil administration and civil protection including response to natural disasters. The increasing necessity for post-conflict peace-building has also called for the involvement of civilian police. This typically includes a training element and the Garda Síochána has participated in a number of such operations and has built up a capacity in this field which is well-recognised internationally.

The touchstone for Ireland's participation in overseas missions continues to be the UN. Decisions on Irish participation in ESDP missions are taken on a case-by-case basis, and are subject to the "triple lock" process. Irish participation in ESDP operations is fully in keeping with Ireland's commitment to the UN. Against this background, the Government is fully supportive of the participation of the Defence Forces in a substantive manner in the EUFOR mission.

I will now turn to the conflict and the proposed operation in Chad and the Central African Republic. The multiple conflicts in the border areas between Darfur, Chad and the Central African Republic constitute a threat to peace and security in the entire region. In Chad, following an agreement between the Government of Chad and the peaceful political opposition in August 2007, a peace deal was signed between the Government and four rebel groups in October 2007. However, major problems continue with ongoing clashes between rebels and Government forces. Arising from these clashes, more than 180,000 internally displaced Chadians and 236,000 Sudanese refugees now live in camps in eastern Chad.

In the case of the Central African Republic, the already fragile situation has been exacerbated by the activities of criminal gangs, the spill-over of instability from Darfur and Chad and an armed rebellion in the north west and north east. Approximately 170,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since September 2005. In addition, more than 43,000 refugees from the Central African Republic reside in Chad and 20,000 people are thought to have fled to Cameroon. Malnutrition has reached alarming levels, particularly among children.

The troubled situation in Sudan's Darfur region, Chad and the Central African Republic demands an immediate response from the international community. As then Minister of State with responsibility for overseas development assistance, I visited Darfur in 2004. It is a terrible reflection on the international community that the situation there has not been resolved but I am proud that we are playing a role in regard to the refugees who come from that region. That innocent people, who have been already uprooted from their homes to face terror, rape and murder, continue to be at risk in camps for refugees and internally displaced persons cannot be tolerated. During my visit to Darfur, I spoke with many families who were living in fear and was told some horrendous stories about their personal circumstances.

The former President, Mary Robinson, and a group of women leaders made a well-publicised visit to Chad's camps recently. Her report on what she witnessed and heard from the women refugees is disturbing. Women who had escaped horrific attacks by militiamen in Darfur now faced being targeted and raped in the refugee camps and are afraid to go out to collect food and firewood. She has called for an EU force to protect refugee camps and highlighted the need for security because the refugees and displaced persons, and women in particular, are not safe in the camps.

The authorities of Chad and the Central African Republic have welcomed a possible EU military presence in their respective countries. This was reiterated during the visit of my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, to Chad on 15 and 16 November, when he received the assurances of the Chadian Prime Minister. The signing of the peace deal in Chad in October 2007, albeit under some strain at present, can still provide an opportunity for greater stability in the region and, with the deployment of the UN mission, an improved environment for assisting and protecting refugees and supporting the distribution of humanitarian aid. The EU mission to Chad will complement the planned UN-African Union hybrid mission being launched by the UN in Darfur by limiting the spill-over potential from the conflict in Sudan.

On 25 September 2007, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1778 establishing a multidimensional UN mission in Chad and the Central African Republic that will help strengthen security in the region. The multidimensional presence will comprise a United Nations Mission in Chad and the Central African Republic, to be known as MINURCAT, which will focus on the security and protection of refugees, internally displaced persons, IDPs, and civilians in danger, and on human rights and the rule of law in eastern Chad and north-eastern Central African Republic; and troops deployed by the European Union with a robust authorisation to protect and support it. In its decision of 15 October 2007, the Council of the European Union agreed a Joint Action to launch the ESDP mission in support of the UN operation in Chad and the Central African Republic.

UN Security Council Resolution 1778 authorises the European Union, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, to deploy for a period of one year from the date of its initial operating capability is declared by the European Union in consultation with the Secretary General. The EU forces will be deployed to eastern Chad and the north-eastern Central African Republic. The EU forces are authorised to support the UN and to take all necessary measures within its capabilities and its area of operation to contribute to protecting civilians in danger, particularly refugees and displaced persons; to improve security in the area of operations to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and the free movement of humanitarian personnel; and to contribute to protecting United Nations and associated personnel, facilities, installations and equipment.

The EU is planning to launch this operation as a matter of urgency. The intention is to have an initial operational capability on the ground in December with the operation fully functional by the end of March 2008. Planning to this end is ongoing. At this point in time, contributions of troops from EU member states are in line with the mission requirements. However there are significant deficiencies in key enabling elements, such as medical facilities, medevac and helicopter and fixed wing tactical lift aircraft. This is not unusual at this stage in the planning process because medical and air assets are always at a premium. However, the operational commander has been absolutely clear that in the absence of these elements it will not be possible to launch the operation. The Minister for Defence has called on his European ministerial colleagues to step up to the plate and provide the required assets so as to allow this important mission to proceed speedily. I assure Senators there is no question of the Defence Forces deploying in theatre without the required enablers being in place.

Ireland from the outset has been positively disposed towards the proposed mission. In its decisions of 2 October and 23 October 2007, the Government deployed the then Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Pat Nash, as operation commander of the EU force and up to 11 additional personnel to the headquarters of the operation. Dáil Éireann approved the deployment of Major General Nash and his personal support staff on 9 October 2007. The role of the operation commander is to manage the overall military operation and provide the military interface between the military operation and MINURCAT, the EU and the UN. The post of operation commander is the highest profile post Ireland will have undertaken in an EU operation to date. In mid-October, Major General Nash assumed immediate leadership in the planning and launch of the operation.

The likely location for the deployment of the substantive Irish contingent will be the Goz Beida region of eastern Chad. The role of the contingent will be contributing to the establishment of a safe and secure environment in order to protect civilians in danger, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, the free movement of humanitarian personnel, protecting UN and associated personnel and encouraging the return of IDPs. The Irish contingent will be based on a mechanised infantry battalion group comprising manoeuvre elements and combat support and combat service support elements. The contingent will comprise some 400 personnel. Due to the nature of the operation and the mission area and environment, force protection will be a key consideration. The final configuration of Ireland's contingent contribution to the mission is being further worked out in consultation with the EU military staff and the operation commander.

The Defence Forces initial entry force will comprise an advance party of approximately 50 personnel of the Army ranger wing and support elements, which will provide reconnaissance and force protection for engineers in the selection and establishment of the Irish camp. These personnel will be deployed in December 2007 and the main contingent, which is currently undergoing selection and concentration prior to detailed mission specific training, is likely to deploy in February or March 2008.

A full assessment of the Chad-Central African Republic operation was undertaken, including a comprehensive and detailed reconnaissance of the area of operations by an experienced Defence Forces team prior to the final decision being made. The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces has advised that the threat level in the area of operations is assessed as medium risk. Rebel and bandit groups using four by four pick-up vehicles and hit and run tactics constitute the main threat EUFOR may have to face. These groups operate opportunistically, concentrating and dissipating quickly to engage weaker targets including aid workers, the local population and weaker military elements, but they lack the potential for any prolonged engagement. They operate mainly along the border between Chad and Sudan. French forces based in Chad have indicated they have had no engagement to date with any of these groups, possibly due to the fact that the groups do not have the potential to engage well trained and equipped military elements. The military authorities assure me that, while the level of risk is consistent with any operational deployment into a conflict zone in Africa, it is one which the Defence Forces has the capability to manage.

The decision to send troops overseas is not taken lightly. I assure the House that our ability to protect the health and safety of personnel is of paramount concern when considering any mission. Once a decision to deploy is made and the nature and manner of that deployment is finalised, all operational decisions regarding deployment, force protection assets, medical facilities, etc., are a matter for the military authorities. The final decision on the deployment to the EU mission was not taken until the Defence Forces conducted their own detailed threat assessment in the area of operations and the Minister for Defence had received the report from the Chief of Staff.

While no absolute guarantees can be given with regard to the safety of troops serving in missions, it is the policy and practice to ensure Defence Forces personnel are appropriately trained and equipped to carry out their mission. The Defence Forces will deploy MOWAG APCs and close reconnaissance vehicles, which will provide armoured protection, mobility, firepower and a communications platform. The MOWAG APCs being deployed were also deployed with the Defence Forces when they served with UNMIL in Liberia and UNIFIL in Lebanon where they performed very effectively. In addition, the existing French presence in Chad is capable of rapid expansion if necessary to support the EU force.

As Senators will be aware, Dáil Éireann approved the despatch of a contingent of the Permanent Defence Forces for service with the UN mandated operation in the Republic of Chad and Central African Republic. I will now address one of the issues raised during this debate which relates to the recent breakdown in the ceasefire in Chad. Obviously, in the context of the ceasefire negotiated only last month, the latest outbreak of hostilities is disappointing. It is my understanding from my reading of the reports that the rebels are impatient with the Chadian Government's progress in implementing the terms of the ceasefire while, at the same time, the Government of Chad is wrestling with the challenge of working out how to give effect to the terms of the ceasefire, include the rebels in the structures of Government and integrate rebel forces into the army. While these tensions are understandable, they do not excuse the extent of the violence which I have seen reported.

Breakdowns in ceasefires are not unusual in these types of conflicts and the House will recall that in the context of the ceasefires in Northern Ireland we have also experienced many false dawns. Obviously in the case of Chad the level of violence, if the reports are to be believed, is more extensive. This is the reason we are deploying professional troops with extensive force protection assets, significantly beyond that which is available to the rebels.

The Defence Forces have faced similar circumstances in Liberia where rebels, faced with overwhelming firepower and professional forces, have faded into the background. We are hopeful a similar situation will apply in Chad. I call on all parties to the conflict, Government and rebels, to have patience, respect the ceasefire and, in the case of surrounding countries, not to exacerbate the situation or become involved in the conflict.

I assure the House that we will provide the Defence Forces contingent with whatever is necessary to enable our forces to discharge their mandate safely. The Defence Forces military command continually evaluates the situation in theatre to ensure contingents have the requisite firepower and protection on an ongoing basis to undertake their mission. The planned deployment to Chad will not be different.

The conflict in Chad is one of the many, often forgotten conflicts in Africa which demands a response from the international community. Irish and international humanitarian aid workers daily risk their lives working in extremely difficult conditions to relieve the oppression of helpless citizens, women and children, who are continuously at risk. We, Ireland and the European Union, can make a real and substantive contribution. If anything, the increase in hostilities points to the need for the international community, in particular the European Union, to raise its game and ensure this mission is a success. If European Security and Defence Policy means anything to our partners in the European Union, now is the time to make it mean something. Despite being one of the smallest member states, with less than 1% of the European Union's population, Ireland is providing more than 10% of the planned EU force. It is now up to other member states to meet their commitments if we are serious about European Security and Defence Policy and the EU being a global player on the international stage in this regard.

The Defence Forces have a strong tradition of participation in missions of this nature and Ireland has a special commitment to Africa, evidenced by, among other things, our bilateral aid programme. Having regard to the importance of this mission to peace and stability in the region and Ireland's abiding interest in Africa and its development, the Government is satisfied that we should participate in the mission. Ireland is determined to play a meaningful and constructive role in the mission, as the expected second largest contributor and provider of the operation commander.

As I stated, the launch of the operation depends on the response of the European Union as a whole. In this regard, it is vital that those member states with access to medical and air assets, in particular the larger member states, come forward in support of this mission. Planning is continuing in earnest and I look forward to a successful launch of the mission in December. Senators will join me in wishing our troops a successful and safe mission.