euro|topics - The difficult deployment of Eufor troops in Africa

Main focus of Monday, February 4, 2008

The difficult deployment of Eufor troops in Africa

On February 1st, the EU found itself obliged to delay the deployment of Austrian and Irish troops in Chad and the Central African Republic as part of the Eufor operation. This delay was due to the intensification of conflict between authorities and rebels in Chad. Several months of discussions were necessary to organise this operation that 14 EU countries are participating in to ensure the protection of the region's civilians.

Die Presse - Austria

"The EU mission in Chad could hardly have got off to a worse start. One mistake followed another: from the incorrect assessment of the situation to the arguments about providing helicopters and the delay in deployment to the obvious shortcomings in the communication structure of the French-led enterprise", says Christian Ultsch. "But it would be an even greater mistake to panic and abandon the Chad mission in haste. In that case, the European Union would lose its credibility concerning security policy, not just in Africa, in one stroke... The refugees need protection now, more than ever. Simply making off and watching from a distance how the refugees are murdered by Sudanese Janjaweed militias cannot be an option." (04/02/2008)

die tageszeitung - Germany

Nobody will miss the EUFOR troops who will not be deployed in the troubled region for the time being because of the war, Dominic Johnson believes. "But the country's civil groups above all will sorely miss more European commitment to promote democracy and the rule of law. Only last year did the government agree to take steps towards free elections and include the opposition in their preparation, responding to EU pressure. Instead of pressing ahead with them, the European Union focussed solely on its response unit backed by France. If even foreign countries cannot suggest alternatives to military means when dealing with Chad – who else can be expected to come down on the side of peace?" (04/02/2008)

24 heures - Switzerland

Bernard Bridel considers that Nicolas Sarkozy's hands are now tied when it comes to Chad. "Since the dramatic Zoe's Arch affair, in which he became spectacularly involved in to obtain the transfer to France of six French citizens condemned in N'Djamena of child abduction, the 'hyper president' has run up, one way or another, a debt with Idriss Déby. ... The difficulty for Paris today is of course to know how long to support its Chadian friend. The question is not just rhetorical and goes beyond Franco Chadian relations, to the degree that the rebel offensive -supported by Sudan- has delayed the installation of the European mission intended to ensure the safety of refugee camps in Darfur, eastern Chad. Diabolically complicated and risky, today's prevalent situation in Chad is as shifting as the sands in this immense region where France has got itself stuck countless times." (04/02/2008)

Le Soir - Belgium

Colette Braeckmann explains why Europe was so intent on deploying its forces. "To protect the Darfur refugees of course; to keep a closer watch on Sudan and its oilfields for sure; but also to prove its operational capacity to Africa. ... For a long time, the African countries committed to the protection of Darfur civilians, complained about the lack of enthusiasm from Europeans who had nonetheless promised to provide the African Union with financial and logistical aid. Their impotence opened the way for the internationalisation of the conflict. It was not difficult for the Khartoum authorities to slip a dreaded banana skin under the feet of Europeans: the Deby regime that Eurofor, even despite itself, helped, was undermined by 18 years of bad management ... . " (04/02/2008)

» To the complete press review of Monday, February 4, 2008

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