EU to send troops to Chad

European Union nations on Wednesday agreed to send troops to Chad and the Central African Republic to boost security after a joint United Nations-African Union force was deployed in neighbouring Darfur, said a diplomat. The 27 member states approved the scheme to send the force, the details of which were still to be hammered out, but the troops would not be deployed until there was UN Security Council resolution on the matter, he added.

The European mission, with its headquarters in France, was agreed in response to a UN call and was expected to comprise a maximum of 4 000 soldiers deployed for 12 months. They would not in case turn up until after the end of the rainy season in mid-October. When there the force would provide security for 300 UN police officers, protect civilians and help with humanitarian initiatives.

200 000 people killed

In July, EU foreign ministers gave the green light for preparation for the mission, which they said "should be based on a resolution by the UN Security Council, with a clearly defined exit strategy". They added then that it "should be conducted in full co-operation with the UN and the AU, and in consultation with the authorities of the countries concerned".

In Darfur, the breakaway province of Sudan, at least 200 000 people had died from the combined effect of war and famine since civil strife started in February 2003, according to UN estimates. Other sources gave a much higher toll, but Khartoum disputed the figures. Sudan and Chad accused each other of supporting rebel forces in their respective territories. The UN had estimated that there were 236 000 refugees and 173 000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Chad, with daunting logistical problems for humanitarian workers.
In CAR, the number of IDPs exceeded 200 000, according to aid groups, largely due to persistent insecurity in the north of the country, where government troops were battling several rebel groups.

A 26 000-strong joint UN-AU peacekeeping force to Darfur was approved by the UN Security Council in July. On Monday, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the world body had received "more contributions than we may actually need" for the force except in specialised areas such as air transportation.