EU’s Chad mission put on hold

The dispatch of the European Union’s peacekeeping mission to Chad has been delayed by last weekend’s rebel attack on the capital N’djamena.

Although an advance detachment of 258 EU troops is already in N’djamena and Abéché, towards the border with Sudan, the EU is delaying sending the rest of the force, which will total about 3,700 and was supposed to fly out at the end of last week (1 February).

EU foreign ministers had launched the mission on 28 January, with the main task of protecting refugees from the conflict in the neighbouring Sudan province of Darfur. But rebels then overran the capital. The rebels failed to take the international airport or the presidential compound and subsequently retreated. A ceasefire offer was rejected by the government, which said that the rebels had been beaten.

France, which maintains a long-standing military presence in Chad and is to form the backbone of the EU force, has not intervened in the fighting in any major way, but French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned the rebels that France would defend its former colony against attack.

The United Nations Security Council issued a non-binding statement on Monday (4 February) in support of the Chadian government. Chad accuses neighbouring Sudan of backing the rebels.

Earlier rebel advances almost succeeded in toppling President Idriss Déby, who only held on thanks to French support.

A spokesman for Eufor - the EU’s military mission - said that the advance detachment was "well and safe". He added that the force would deploy as soon as conditions allowed.

The EU’s peacekeeping mission in Chad had already been delayed by several months as member states were unable to provide sufficient equipment, especially transport helicopters.

• The French military, which is in control of the international airport in N’djamena, has evacuated westerners to Gabon, where many boarded commercial flights to Paris. Sixteen staff members of the European Commission delegation and their dependents were evacuated by Tuesday (5 February) after the delegation office was closed. A Commission spokesperson said that their return would depend on security conditions on the ground, which were being monitored.

The dispatch of the European Union’s peacekeeping mission to Chad has been delayed by last weekend’s rebel attack on the capital N’djamena.