EU force for Darfur neighbors could approved by end of January
January 11, 2008 (BRUSSELS, Belgium) — A European Union military force for two countries neighboring Sudan’s troubled Darfur region is expected to be approved by the end of the month thanks in part to pledges made Friday for more helicopters and troops for the operation, officials said.
Belgium, Poland and France agreed to contribute needed helicopters and other means of air transport, meaning planning for the mission can now be completed, officials said after a meeting of EU military experts. The first soldiers could be on the ground in early February, they said.
“While the process has taken longer than anticipated, it has reached a successful conclusion in the end … The launch of this mission demonstrates the potential of the European Union to respond to conflict and humanitarian crisis,” Irish Defense Minister Willie O’Dea said in a statement in Dublin.
O’Dea said the plan for the mission, which is meant to protect civilians and humanitarian workers in the area, will be available Monday and a formal decision to go ahead with the deployment should be taken by EU ministers Jan. 28.
French Defense Minister Herve Morin, speaking in Strasbourg, France said his country pledged Friday to offer five additional helicopters and about 2,000 soldiers. He said Belgium would send two aircraft and Italy would provide a field military hospital.
A Brussels-based Polish diplomat said Poland has agreed to provide two helicopters and increase its contribution from 350 to 400 troops.
“I very much welcome the offers made today by member states to this important mission … I am relieved that they were able to respond positively to the crisis in Chad,” O’Dea said, adding that the first Irish troops could be on the ground in early February.
Ireland is planning to send around 350 troops, while Sweden, Romania, the Netherlands and Finland have promised smaller contingents.
Previously, officials said deployment of the EU force for Chad and the Central African Republic was delayed primarily because of the need for and additional 800 troops and 10 helicopters.
EU diplomats said Friday that Russia and Ukraine were also considering contributing to the force, but that no decision had been made.
The EU force, which has been authorized by the United Nations, has its headquarters outside Paris and is to be made up mostly of French troops under an Irish general’s command.
The 3,500-strong force was supposed to begin deploying in early December along the two countries’ borders with Sudan, but it has fallen short of the contributions from member countries that Ireland’s Lt. Gen. Pat Nash had said were needed.
The force is aimed at helping limit possible spillover from the fighting in Darfur and complementing a planned U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force of 26,000 soldiers for Darfur.
At least 200,000 people have been killed and a further 2.5 million uprooted from their homes in Darfur since a rebellion broke out there in 2003.
(AP)