Military Operation in Chad

Abstract

In January 2008, the EU launched its most ambitious autonomous military operation to date. Almost 3,700 troops contributed to a “safe and secure environment” in eastern Chad and the Central African Republic. This was to the benefit of internally displaced people and refugees from the Darfur region, as well as local personnel from humanitarian organizations and the UN. The operation lasted exactly one year. The EU troops operated in a political minefield and overcame tremendous logistical problems. After the mandate expired, the EU handed over the operation and the infrastructure to the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT). In spite of some problems in the planning process, the EUFOR Tchad/RCA operation was eventually successful from a military perspective. However, given the lack of participation of some member states in the operation, the tense relations between the EU and the UN at a political level, and the questionable impact on the ground, this type of bridging operation — where the EU prepares the ground for the UN — is unlikely to be repeated in the near future (see also Dijkstra 2010b).