Political dissent could delay EU military mission to Chad

Hopes are waning that the EU could launch a military mission to protect refugees from the Darfur conflict displaced to neighbouring countries by the end of October following delays in agreeing the aims and composition of the planned force.

EU political and security ambassadors, who met on 4 September to discuss the planned mission in Chad and the Central African Republic, failed to agree the mission concept. The mission will involve around 3,000 EU military personnel, half of whom will be from France.

Sweden is also expected to provide a substantial number of personnel. But Swedish officials said that they wanted more time to receive information about the situation on the ground. "It’s not time to rush ahead," an official said. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt is currently on a visit to Chad.

The planned mission will be discussed by foreign ministers at their informal meeting in Viana do Castelo in Portugal on 7-8 September.

Before the mission can be deployed, the EU needs to agree the crisis management concept and the force composition. There were hopes before the summer that the force, which will defend camps for refugees and people displaced by the Darfur crisis against attacks by rebel forces, could deploy by the end of October after the end of the rainy season. But this target is looking harder to meet despite calls from campaign groups for a rapid deployment.

Following a visit to refugee camps in eastern Chad this week, a group of prominent women led by Mary Robinson, former Irish president and United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, met French Foreign Bernard Kouchner in Paris to call for swift action. "We have to emphasise the urgency of getting troops on the ground now, of getting commitments from European countries of soldiers and of police," Robinson said.

The group will also meet senior UK and German government figures to lobby for early deployment.

The EU is struggling to find the personnel for the operation. There are discussions about whether a large part of the force could come from the 2,400 strong Nordic battlegroup, led by Sweden with Finnish, Estonian, Irish and Norwegian troops, although it does not officially come on duty for EU missions until January next year.

Some are questioning whether the battlegroup, which is intended as a rapid reaction force, is well suited for the longer-term presence the mission will require.

Under current plans, the EU force will deploy for six months initially, with the possibility of extending the operation for up to a year in total. Member states want guarantees that the EU mission will be replaced.

The mission will also need a United Nations Security Council resolution. The Security Council issued a statement on 27 August saying that it was ready to authorise a force to provide civilian protection and facilitate humanitarian aid for 12 months in the two countries.

There are an estimated 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons in Chad and the Central African Republic fleeing from the conflict in the neighbouring Sudanese province of Darfur.

Hopes are waning that the EU could launch a military mission to protect refugees from the Darfur conflict displaced to neighbouring countries by the end of October following delays in agreeing the aims and composition of the planned force.