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Irish UN troops are safe after French soldier kills comrades
By Grainne Cunningham
Wednesday April 08 2009
A renegade French soldier was on the run in Chad last night after gunning down a civilian and three of his comrades.
The man, a member of the French Foreign Legion, shot dead three soldiers, two other members of the Legion, and one Togolese, at one of the UN camps in Chad where Irish military personnel are based.
A Chadian official said the legionnaire later shot and killed a local farmer who resisted the fugitive's attempt to steal his horse.
A spokesman for the Defence Forces said last night that all 23 Irish at the Abeche camp are "safe, well and accounted for". The French soldier managed to escape from the camp and is still on the run.
Irrational
"He fired at his comrades in an irrational act and is now on the run," Lieutenant Colonel Francois-Marie Gougeon, spokesman for the French Army said. "The priority is to find him."
Lt Col Gougeon said he didn't know whether the soldier left with his weapon.
The troops were killed in the military "Camps des Etoiles", Stars camp, near the town of Abeche in eastern Chad, he said.
The French Foreign Legion soldiers who were killed and the man who shot them are part of a European peacekeeping force in Chad.
The Togolese soldier was part of the United Nations force that is taking over operations from the Europeans, Lt Col Gougeon said.
The Irish troops there all carrying out administrative duties and none of them witnessed the shootings, the Irish Army spokesman said.
Troops were searching for the missing soldier last night.
The incident took place about 2pm local and Irish time at the camp which is about 50km from the Sudanese border in the east of the country.
The French soldier, a member of the Eufor quick reaction force, first shot two of his comrades before hiding in an ammunition depot.
He later shot a sentry from Togo before managing to get away from the camp, out into the desert and scrubland which surround the perimeter.
Abeche is a tiny town, served by an airstrip which has become a centre for the delivery of humanitarian assistance for about 240,000 Darfurian refugees living in 12 camps east of the town, in the border region to Sudan.
Camp Stars, Abeche, is an international camp, populated by personnel from up to 20 different countries. It is the headquarters for MINURCAT, the UN peacekeeping force in Central Africa and Chad.
The 23 Irish personnel, one of whom is Deputy Commander of the camp, have mainly been stationed there since late January and early February for a six-month term.
The majority of Irish troops are stationed a two-hour flight away from Abeche at Camp Ciara at Goz Bieda in eastern Chad.
The Irish Army press officer said he was "absolutely" confident that all Irish personnel were safe. He said the matter would be dealt with by the French authorities.
France has 2,100 troops in Chad. There are about 5,200 peacekeepers as part of the UN's MINURCAT mission in Chad, including an Irish infantry battalion of over 400 soldiers.
French Defence Minister Herve Morin said he deplored the "tragic accident" and that the errant soldier had clearly been "seized by a fit of madness.
"He is being actively sought after by the French gendarmerie, Chadian authorities and the entirety of troops based in Abeche," Morin said.
By Grainne Cunningham
Wednesday April 08 2009
A renegade French soldier was on the run in Chad last night after gunning down a civilian and three of his comrades.
The man, a member of the French Foreign Legion, shot dead three soldiers, two other members of the Legion, and one Togolese, at one of the UN camps in Chad where Irish military personnel are based.
A Chadian official said the legionnaire later shot and killed a local farmer who resisted the fugitive's attempt to steal his horse.
A spokesman for the Defence Forces said last night that all 23 Irish at the Abeche camp are "safe, well and accounted for". The French soldier managed to escape from the camp and is still on the run.
Irrational
"He fired at his comrades in an irrational act and is now on the run," Lieutenant Colonel Francois-Marie Gougeon, spokesman for the French Army said. "The priority is to find him."
Lt Col Gougeon said he didn't know whether the soldier left with his weapon.
The troops were killed in the military "Camps des Etoiles", Stars camp, near the town of Abeche in eastern Chad, he said.
The French Foreign Legion soldiers who were killed and the man who shot them are part of a European peacekeeping force in Chad.
The Togolese soldier was part of the United Nations force that is taking over operations from the Europeans, Lt Col Gougeon said.
The Irish troops there all carrying out administrative duties and none of them witnessed the shootings, the Irish Army spokesman said.
Troops were searching for the missing soldier last night.
The incident took place about 2pm local and Irish time at the camp which is about 50km from the Sudanese border in the east of the country.
The French soldier, a member of the Eufor quick reaction force, first shot two of his comrades before hiding in an ammunition depot.
He later shot a sentry from Togo before managing to get away from the camp, out into the desert and scrubland which surround the perimeter.
Abeche is a tiny town, served by an airstrip which has become a centre for the delivery of humanitarian assistance for about 240,000 Darfurian refugees living in 12 camps east of the town, in the border region to Sudan.
Camp Stars, Abeche, is an international camp, populated by personnel from up to 20 different countries. It is the headquarters for MINURCAT, the UN peacekeeping force in Central Africa and Chad.
The 23 Irish personnel, one of whom is Deputy Commander of the camp, have mainly been stationed there since late January and early February for a six-month term.
The majority of Irish troops are stationed a two-hour flight away from Abeche at Camp Ciara at Goz Bieda in eastern Chad.
The Irish Army press officer said he was "absolutely" confident that all Irish personnel were safe. He said the matter would be dealt with by the French authorities.
France has 2,100 troops in Chad. There are about 5,200 peacekeepers as part of the UN's MINURCAT mission in Chad, including an Irish infantry battalion of over 400 soldiers.
French Defence Minister Herve Morin said he deplored the "tragic accident" and that the errant soldier had clearly been "seized by a fit of madness.
"He is being actively sought after by the French gendarmerie, Chadian authorities and the entirety of troops based in Abeche," Morin said.
