The UN/EU peacekeeping mission to Chad and the Central African Republic is rapidly taking shape. The European Union is determined to dispatch 4,300 troops from 20 countries within the next weeks. They will work alongside 350 United Nations police and military personnel who will work to protect the fragile triangle between CAR, Chad and the war-torn Darfur region in Sudan. This article is a complete round-up on the current situation of this crucial mission to stabilize the region.

The mission comes as a response to the dire situation of an estimated 230,000 refugees from Darfur who continue to flee into bordering eastern Chad and north-eastern Central African Republic (CAR). Armed Sudanese rebel groups have continuously carried out attacks across the Sudanese border, endangering local residents and Darfuri refugees alike.

Mission outline

United Nations: MINURCAT
The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) was approved by the Security Council on 25 September. It provides a mandate for one year for “a maximum of 300 police and 50 military liaison officers and an appropriate number of civilian personnel” who will serve directly under the UN flag. Their task is largely to conduct training for local police forces and support the CAR and Chadian governments in dealing with this crisis.

European Union: EUFOR TCHAD/RCA
At the same time, however, the UN authorized a much larger European Union peacekeeping force (dubbed EUFOR TCHAD/RCA) “to take all necessary measures, within its capabilities and its area of operation in eastern Chad and the north-eastern Central African Republic” to protect civilians, facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid, and ensure the safety of UN personnel. The EU operation commander, General Patrick Nash, announced on 5 November that this force will be 4,300 troops strong. The military operation was approved by the Council of the European Union on 15 October.

Troop deployment

France’s foreign minister Kouchner initially announced on 15 October that about half of the troops would be deployed by France. Other EU countries have so far been hesitant to commit their own military or specialised technical personnel. Reported commitments to comprise the EUFOR TCHAD/RCA force to date:

• France – half of the full contingent / “a battalion formed of three companies and support units”
• Ireland – 350 troops
• Sweden – 200 troops
• Austria – 160 troops
• Poland – 150 troops
• Finland – 40 troops
• Spain – 80 troops
• Romania – 120 troops
• Belgium – 100 troops
• Netherlands (not specified)

According to the Brussels-based news agency “Panapress”, a number of non-EU countries also expressed interest in providing logistic or personnel support to the EUFOR mission. This unofficial list includes Turkey, Macedonia, Norway, Island, Croatia, and Canada.

Although November 2007 has often been cited as the starting point for early troop deployments, the UN as well as the EU have yet to announce an official list of contributors as well as most senior management staff.

About the north-eastern Central African Republic

The north-eastern Central African Republic, where there are currently 28,000 internally displaced persons, has also been destabilized by events originating in Darfur. In a single incident in May alone, an influx of 2,500 people from the village of Daffak, South Darfur, sought refuge in the Central African town of Sam Ouandja. The refugees were reported to have suffered heavy casualties as they fled an attack by armed men, whom they described as Janjaweed and who were allegedly supported by Sudanese military aircraft.

CAR President Bozizé has pointed out during meetings with the UN that the internal violence and displacement in the north-eastern Vakaga prefecture was directly linked to the conflict in Darfur.

Specifics about the peacekeeping mission in CAR

• Area of operations is the north-eastern Central African Republic, including the Vakaga prefecture and the north-eastern part of Haute-Kotto prefecture.
• A liaison office in Bangui as well as a forward office in Birao are to be established.
  The EUFOR military component will also aim at deterring the movement of armed groups between the Sudan and Chad through the Central African Republic.
• Infantry battalion groups would be deployed to provide a robust and effective presence on the ground by conducting land and air patrols, in the daytime and at night, in order to reassure the civilian population and deter attacks against them.
• Three military sectors will be established in Chad, one in the Central African Republic with its headquarters in Birao.
• A police liaison presence will be deployed to Bangui, to provide a link to key stakeholders, including the Government, BONUCA and international agencies.

Darfur refugees in Sam Ouandja
Currently 10 HDPT CAR organizations and UN agencies are providing humanitarian aid to Darfuri refugees in Sam Ouandja. They include: The CAR Ministry of Family, Social Affairs and National Solidarity; National Refugee Commission (CNR); United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); World Food Programme (WFP); Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF); World Health Organization; United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); Triangle Génération Humanitaire (TGH); International Medical Corps (IMC).

Official information:

• EUFOR TCHAD/RCA (European Union)
• MINURCAT (United Nations)

Key documents:

• Secretary-General’s detailed outline for the MINURCAT mission (PDF; 126 KB)
• Note from EU to Security Council about EU commitment (PDF; 30 KB)
• Security Council resolution 1778 (PDF; 57 KB)
• Council of the EU joint action 2007/677/CFSP(PDF; 51 KB)

HDPT briefing material on CAR:

• HDPT CAR Briefing Kit - Darfur refugees in CAR (PDF; 549 KB)
• HDPT Fact Sheet (PDF; 140 KB)
• HDPT Briefing Pack on the humanitarian situation in CAR (PDF; 2.6 MB)
• HDPT Briefing Pack on the development situation in CAR (PDF; 1.5 MB)
• All maps of the Central African Republic

All pictures in this post were taken during a first assessment mission to Sam Ouandja, where 2,600 refugees arrived in June 2007 after a 10-day walk from Darfur. Click here for the full set.