The Dutch contribution to European Union Force Chad/CAR
On 29 February 2008, the Council of Ministers decided to send a reconnaissance unit of 60 marines to eastern Chad, to serve as the eyes and ears of the Irish battalion. The reconnaissance platoon of the First Marine Battalion formed the core of the unit.
It was augmented by a support team with antitank weapons and 60mm mortars, a medical team and a maintenance team. The platoon staff was also expanded. As the request was for a motorised reconnaissance unit, the BSV10 Viking, an armoured amphibious tracked vehicle, was chosen as the primary mode of transport. The Viking was, after all, particularly suited to the conditions in southern Chad, which was plagued by heavy rainfall in the summer season.
The detachment was further augmented to include a national intelligence cell (NIC - 2 personnel) and staff officials for the operational headquarters in Mont Valérien, the tactical headquarters in Abéché (Chad) and the battalion headquarters in Goz Beida.
The quartermasters of the detachment and a number of staff members, including the detachment commander, flew to N’Djamena via Dublin on 18 May. The other members of the detachment followed on Sunday 1 June. 2 staff officials had already been active in Chad since January and April 2008, respectively.
Protecting refugees
The marines soon found that, as expected, the refugees mainly needed protection from banditry and crime. Only once did the rebels specifically make their presence felt. The Dutch detachment returned to the Netherlands in mid-March 2009.