Ireland to begin deploying peacekeepers to Chad as part of EU refugee-protection force

Ireland begins deploying troops Wednesday for a delayed EU peacekeeping mission to Chad as the central African country remains in a state of emergency.

In addition to the troops from Ireland, Austria was sending supplies to Chad this week for the force, said Lt. Col. Philippe de Cussac, a force spokesman based at its headquarters outside Paris.

The moves were part of the gradual ramping-up of the 4,000-strong EU peacekeeping force, in which advance parties had originally been supposed to deploy in December _ but only arrived this month.

The mission is designed to protect tens of thousands of refugees along Chad's border with Sudan, as well as in the neighboring Central African Republic.

The deployment has been repeatedly delayed _ first because the force lacked sufficient helicopters and medical support, then because of an attack by rebels on Chadian capital N'Djamena earlier this month.

Now, a first, large-scale deployment isn't expected until March. The full deployment isn't expected before mid-May for three zones of eastern Chad and one in northern Central African Republic.

Ireland said 50 members of the army's elite Ranger wing would depart on a charter flight Wednesday night for N'Djamena. They were expected to make a 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) drive Friday to their eastern base at Abeche, which borders Sudan and is near refugee camps.

The Rangers are pathfinders for the main bulk of the Irish contribution of 400 additional troops, which are now scheduled to arrive in mid-May. Gen. Pat Nash of Ireland heads the EU force, made up mostly of French troops.

On Jan. 31, the Ranger unit was forced to turn back when the N'Djamena airport shut down because of an imminent rebel offensive against the Chadian government of President Idriss Deby. An Austrian unit of peacekeepers also was turned back that day.

The rebels were repulsed after fighting that left more than 160 dead and 1,000 wounded. On Friday, Deby declared a 15-day state of emergency and appealed to citizens to inform on suspected rebels still hiding in N'Djamena.